Jersey Nuclear-avco Isotopes, Inc.

Lawrence A Levin

Horace W Furumoto

Charles T Pike

George Sargent Janes

Richard H Levy

Method and apparatus for exciting particles in an environment in which a selected isotope, of broadened spectral absorption bandwidth, is exposed to laser radiation having a frequency bandwidth substantially narrower than the spectral width. The laser radiation is frequency swept entirely across the broadened spectral width of the absorption band of the selected isotope type particles to provide spectral matching with substantially all of these particles. A laser system is provided having the capability of sweeping a narrow spectral emission entirely across a broadened spectral absorption band.

Frequency swept laser system for isotope excitation

Method and apparatus for achieving isotopically selective adiabatic inversion, particularly for improved isotope separation efficiency. In a preferred embodiment for practicing the invention, chirped laser radiation induces photoionization of a vapor state material in isotopically selective excitation and ionization energy steps. A frequency sweep or 'chirp' is provided in the excitation laser radiation at a controlled rate and over a range of frequencies which is limited to prevent loss of selectivity in the excitation. The frequency swept radiation has a theoretical capability of producing 100% inversion of ground state particles in the vapor. The features of the invention additionally permit excitation of a material to very high energy states useful in producing high frequency, ultraviolet lasing.

Adiabatic inversion for selective excitation

Frequency selective means, particularly for use in uranium enrichment by laser induced isotopically selective ionization to suppress unwanted lasing of the excited uranium medium. The frequency selective means, such as filters, are placed at intervals in a column of laser illuminated uranium vapor and are transmissive to the illuminating laser frequencies but nontransmissive to frequencies at which population inversions exist in the excited uranium. The filters limit the path length and correspondingly the gain in the excited uranium to prevent high intensity lasing by the uranium itself.

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Beer Sheva, Israel

Lawrence A Levin