Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Other

Lelland A Weaver

Chi-sheng Liu

Roy K Williams

Donald W Feldman

Eugene W Sucov

Richard L Hundstad

Lyn D Pleasance

Ernest P Riedel

A plurality of spaced-apart apertured discs constructed of electrical insulator material, are sealed within the quartz tube structure of a metal halide laser tube to increase the path length along the wall of the laser tube between the discharged electrodes to constrain the discharge to the central gaseous core rather than along the wall of the quartz tube. The use of electrical insulator apertured discs sealed with the laser tube of a metal halide laser facilitates the utilization of the halide species as the laser medium.

Metal halide laser tube structure

A double sealed technique in an evacuated quartz jacket produces an electrical feedthrough assembly suitable for use in sealed-off, pulse, longitudinal discharge lasers compatible with operating temperatures of up to 1100.degree. C. without oxidation and with a minimum of circuit inductance.

High power electrode and feedthrough assembly for high temperature lasers

Shifted Raman radiation for an all-hot Raman discharge cell is produced by external laser pumping of a metal halide medium in the cell during an afterglow period following dissociation of the metal halide medium into metal atoms and before recombination to form the original species of the metal halide medium.

Metal vapor Raman frequency shifter

A quartz laser tube for use with a metal, or metal halide, laser media employs a coaxial electrical connection in which a longitudinal discharge in the laser medium serves as the central conductor, and the ground return path is a cylindrical metal container which surrounds the laser discharge. This arrangement minimizes the circuit inductance for a given longitudinal discharge, and the outer metal cylinder serves both as a heat shield and a ground shield for reducing electrical noise radiation. Optical access in the longitudinal direction is provided by cylindrically-symmetrical electrode/window assemblies attached to either end of the quartz laser discharge tube.

Coaxial discharge sealed-off quartz laser tube

An atomic iodine laser based on the electrical dissociation of CF.sub.3 I in a gas mixture produces excited atomic iodine in the upper level of its split ground state which subsequently lases at 1.315 micrometers to the lowerlevel of its split ground state. The two level atomic iodine laser process excited by the electrical dissociation of CF.sub.3 I or other alkyl-mono-iodides or perfluro-alkyl-monoiodides is efficient and suitable for high average power levels for application in isotope separation, fusion and weapons systems. Bromides may be substituted for the iodines to provide a two level atomic bromine laser which lases at 2.714 micrometers.

Split ground state atomic iodine or bromine laser

A transverse gas flow system in combination with physically displaced electrical dissociation and electrical excitation means permits increased pulse repetition rates resulting in increased average power output from a metal halide laser apparatus.

High repetition rate metal halide laser

The low temperature operation, i.e., between 300.degree. and 500.degree. C, of a bismuth halide vapor laser avoids the formation of the metal dimer Bi.sub.2 the occurrence of which in the operation of a pure bismuth laser significantly reduces the gain and stimulated output due to absorption of the laser energy. The successful operation of a bismuth halide laser provides the basis for developing a laser operating in the underwater transmission band of between 4,700 and 4,800 Angstroms which lies near the minimum of the sea water absorption scattering curve thus rendering it a prime candidate for underwater applications.

Bismuth halide vapor laser

A method and means are disclosed for obtaining high pulse rate metal vapor laser transitions by vaporizing a metal halide of the desired metal. The vapor of the metal halide is transversely passed at at least sonic velocities through a discharge region where it is dissociated to provide a neutral metal atom excited to an upper laser level by electrons of sufficient energy to create resonance radiation trapping and a population inversion of the upper laser level. The flow rate is maintained to permit the excited metal atom to emit laser radiation by stimulated emission to a lower laser level in the discharge region and to remove the lower laser level atoms therefrom. Dissociation and excitation of the flowing metal atoms are repeated periodically.

High flow metal halide vapor laser

The invention is directed to a method for obtaining pulsed metal vapor laser transitions. The method comprises placing a metal halide of the desired metal within an enclosure and vaporizing the metal halide to provide a metal halide vapor. The metal halide vapor is thereafter dissociated to provide ground state metal atoms of sufficient number density to create a condition for resonance trapping and, substantially simultaneously therewith, ground state metal atoms are excited to an upper laser level, while maintaining a sufficient number in the ground state to preserve said resonance radiation trapping condition, with electrons sufficiently energized to create a population inversion between the upper and lower laser level. The excited metal atom is permitted to emit laser radiation by stimulated emission to a lower laser level and the emission is resonated, preferably between a pair of externally mounted mirrors. The metal atom is permitted to relax from the lower laser level to ground state and the aforementioned steps are repeated.

Growing community of inventors

Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

Lelland A Weaver