US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Jeffrey L Ahl

Robert S Rohde

Jay A Fox

Air freshener attachable to ceiling fans

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

The optical cavity of the present laser has a folded optical path with a pair of reflective diffraction gratings and a gain cell in it. A disk with radially distributed perforations rotates in the optical path between the gratings and the gain cell. The laser wavelength depends upon which perforation is aligned with the slot in a slotted plate also in the optical path. The laser output consists of a sequence of different wavelength but colinear rays.

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Fairfax Station, VA, United States of America

Jeffrey L Ahl