US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Jay A Fox

Dallas N Barr

Clifton S Fox

Jeffrey L Ahl

A rapidly tunable low pressure laser comprised of a one electrode pair low ressure CO.sub.2 gas laser gain cell and intra-cavity quarterwave plate and Q-switch. The cell has a fixed laser output coupled at one end of the laser cavity and at the other end of the cavity a wavelength switching device which changes laser lines in less than 1.times.10.sup.-3 .mu.sec, i.e. changes the wavelengths in less than 1 millisecond within the low pressure laser, to produce at least two quick pulses of different wavelengths at a separation of 1 millisecond. The wavelength switching device is comprised of a fast rotating mirror on the laser optical axis and a fixed grating, or a rotating grating on the optical axis.

System for rapidly tuning a low pressure pulsed laser

A high efficiency gas laser which utilizes transverse electrical excitation f a laser gas medium confined in a circular cylindrical volume. Limitation of the excitation energy to only the optical mode volume of the laser eliminates the inefficiency associated with conventional TEA laser technology in which a much larger gas volume is excited for a given optical mode volume. The present invention is comprised of a new design making possible the higher efficiencies through use of dielectric coupling between concave electrodes.

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Alexandria, VA, United States of America

Jay A Fox