The United States of America As Represented by the United States

Maxwell Laboratories, Inc.

University of Illinois

Other

University of California

Mcr Technology Corporation

Keith Boyer

John F Asmus

Charles K Rhodes

Gunter A Hofmann

Joseph E Dunn

Jay S Pearlman

Reed J Jensen

R Wayne Clark

C Paul Robinson

Norman R Greiner

Theodore P Cotter

Waleed Sami Haddad

Johndale C Solem

Fraincois Painchaud

Ralph H Lovberg

Francois Painchaud

Charles A Fenstermacher

The generation of ultrabright, multikilovolt coherent tunable x-radiation resulting from amplification on hollow atom transition arrays is described. Amplification has been demonstrated by physical evidence including (a) the observation of selected spectral components of several Xehollow atom transition arrays (q=30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37) radiated axially from confined plasma channels, (b) the measurement of line narrowing that is spectrally correlated with the amplified transitions, (c) evidence for spectral hole-burning in the spontaneous emission, a manifestation of saturated amplification, that corresponds spectrally with the amplified lines, and (d) the detection of an intense narrow (&#x3b4;&#x3b8;&#x2dc;0.2 mr) directed beam of radiation in the far field of the source.

Ultrabright tunable coherent multikilovolt x-ray source

An apparatus and method for the generation of ultrabright multikilovolt x-rays from saturated amplification on noble gas transition arrays from hollow atom states is described. Conditions for x-ray amplification in this spectral region combine the production of cold, high-Z matter, with the direct, selective multiphoton excitation of hollow atoms from clusters using ultraviolet radiation and a nonlinear mode of confined, self-channeled propagation in plasmas. Data obtained is consistent with the presence of saturated amplification on several transition arrays of the hollow atom Xe(L) spectrum (&lgr;&tilde;2.9 &angst;). An estimate of the peak brightness achieved is &tilde;10 &ggr;&middot;s &middot;mm &middot;mr (0.1% Bandwidth) , that is &tilde;10 -fold higher than presently available synchotron technology.

Ultrabright multikilovolt x-ray source: saturated amplification on noble gas transition arrays from hollow atom states

Apparatus and method for generating prompt X-radiation from gas clusters. The present invention includes the excitation of inner-shell electrons in the atoms comprising gas clusters using intense ultraviolet laser radiation, thereby producing intense, prompt X-ray emission from the ensemble. Clusters enable atomic excitation rates to achieve the high values characteristic of condensed matter while simultaneously eliminating, through local rapid expansion to low particle density, undesirable collisional interactions that would establish equilibrium conditions in the excited material, and effectively destroy the inner-shell specificity of the excitation. By choosing the atomic species in the cluster, the laser intensity and wavelength, and the cluster size, one can determine the wavelength of X-radiation emitted from the clusters. Moreover, by selecting the energy levels involved in the excitation process, one can produce a population inversion having significant gain and suitable for lasing.

Apparatus and method for generating prompt x-radiation from gas clusters

Apparatus for x-ray microholography of living biological materials. A Fourier transform holographic configuration is described as being most suitable for the 3-dimensional recording of the physical characteristics of biological specimens. The use of a spherical scatterer as a reference and a charge-coupled device two-dimensional detector array placed in the forward direction relative to the incident x-radiation for viewing electromagnetic radiation simultaneously scattered from both the specimen and the reference scatterer permits the ready reconstruction of the details of the specimen from the fringe pattern detected by the charge-coupled device. Both laser and synchrotron radiation sources are feasible for generating microholographs. Operation in the water window (2.4 to 4.5 nm) should provide maximum contrast for features of the specimen and spatial resolution on the order of the wavelength of x-radiation should be possible in all three dimensions, which is sufficient for the visualization of many biological features. It is anticipated that the present apparatus will find utility in other areas as well as where microscopic physical details of a specimen are important. A computational procedure which enables the holographic data collected by the detector to be used to correct for misalignments introduced by inexact knowledge of the relative positions of the spherical reference scatterer and the sample under investigation has been developed.

Method for object reconstruction from x-ray holograms

Methods for food product preservation by inactivation of microorganisms and/or enzymes by applying pulses of very intense, very short duration pulses of light in the visible and near visible frequencies to the surface of food products to be preserved. Also disclosed are packaging methods and apparatus utilizing such intense, short pulses of polychromatic, incoherent light.

Methods for presevation of foodstuffs

A plasma pinch system includes a fluid-jet pinch device for establishing a plasma source composed of a tenuous vapor preconditioning cloud surrounding a central narrow flowing fine stream of fluid under pressure. A discharge device is connected electrically to the fluid-jet pinch device for supplying an electrical flow through a portion of the fluid stream for establishing an incoherent light emitting plasma therealong. A method of using the plasma pinch system for manufacturing semiconductors, includes exposing a semiconductor wafer to the incoherent light emitted by the plasma for either annealing or etching purposes.

Plasma pinch system and method of using same

Apparatus for x-ray microholography of living biological materials. A Fourier transform holographic configuration is described as being most suitable for the 3-dimensional recording of the physical characteristics of biological specimens. The use of a spherical scatterer as a reference and a charge-coupled device two-dimensional detector array placed in the forward direction relative to the incident x-radiation for viewing electromagnetic radiation simultaneously scattered from both the specimen and the reference scatterer permits the ready reconstruction of the details of the specimen from the fringe pattern detected by the charge-coupled device. For example, by using a nickel reference scatter at 4.5 nm, sufficient reference illumination is provided over a wide enough angle to allow similar resolution in both transverse and longitudinal directions. Both laser and synchrotron radiation sources are feasible for generating microholographs. Operation in the water window (2.4 to 4.5 nm) should provide maximum contrast for features of the specimen and spatial resolution on the order of the wavelength of x-radiation should be possible in all three dimensions, which is sufficient for the visualization of many biological features. It is anticipated that the present apparatus will find utility in other areas as well where microscopic physical details of a specimen are important. A computational procedure which enables the holographic data collected by the detector to be used to correct for misalignments introduced by inexact knowledge of the relative positions of the spherical reference scatterer and the sample under investigation has been developed. If the correction is performed prior to reconstruction, full compensation can be achieved and a faithfully reconstructed image produced.

Apparatus for generating x-ray holograms

Methods and apparatus for food product preservation by inactivation of microorganisms and/or enzymes by applying pulses of very intense, very short duration pulses of light in the visible and near visible frequencies to the surface of food products to be preserved. Also disclosed are packaging methods and apparatus utilizing such intense, short pulses of polychromatic, incoherent light.

Methods for aseptic packaging of medical devices

Methods for preservation of foodstuffs

As a method of decontaminating a surface covered with a chemical contaminant, a light-absorption agent providing a relatively high neutral density is applied to the surface in intimate contact with the contaminant. Then one or more flashes of high intensity, broad-band frequency, incoherent light is applied to the surface, whereupon, the light-absorption agent converts the absorbed light energy to heat, resulting in vaporization and/or decomposition of the contaminant. The heat generated by the short duration flash is localized at the material on the surface and at a very thin surface layer, and vaporization of the surface material dissipates the heat that is generated, whereby, the surface is substantially unaffected by the process.

Photodecontamination of surfaces

A process and apparatus for separating isotopes by selective excitation of isotopic species of a volatile compound by tuned laser light. A highly cooled gas of the volatile compound is produced in which the isotopic shift is sharpened and defined. Before substantial condensation occurs, the cooled gas is irradiated with laser light precisely tuned to a desired wavelength to selectively excite a particular isotopic species in the cooled gas. The laser light may impart sufficient energy to the excited species to cause it to undergo photolysis, photochemical reaction or even to photoionize. Alternatively, a two-photon irradiation may be applied to the cooled gas to induce photolysis, photochemical reaction or photoionization. The process is particularly applicable to the separation of isotopes of uranium.

Laser isotope separation

A process for separating isotopes by selective excitation of isotopic species of a volatile compound by tuned laser light. A highly cooled gas of the volatile compound is produced in which the isotopic shift is sharpened and defined. Before substantial condensation occurs, the cooled gas is irradiated with laser light precisely tuned to a desired wavelength to selectively excite a particular isotopic species in the cooled gas. The laser light may impart sufficient energy to the excited species to cause it to undergo photochemical reaction or even to photoionize. Alternatively, a two-photon irradiation may be applied to the cooled gas to induce photochemical reaction or photoionization. The process is particularly applicable to the separation of isotopes of uranium and plutonium.

Photochemical isotope separation

A method and apparatus for obtaining uniform, high-energy, large-volume electrical discharges in the lasing medium of a gas laser whereby a high-energy electron beam is used as an external ionization source to ionize substantially the entire volume of the lasing medium which is then readily pumped by means of an applied potential less than the breakdown voltage of the medium. The method and apparatus are particularly useful in CO.sub.2 laser systems.

Growing community of inventors

Los Alamos, NM, United States of America

Keith Boyer