Hamamatsu-photonics K.k.

Energetiq Technology, Inc.

Perriquest Defense Research Enterprises, LLC

Matthew Partlow

Akinori Asai

Donald K Smith

Matthew Mark Besen

Stephen F Horne

Akio Suzuki

Toru Fujita

Shinichi Ohba

Ron Collins

Yusei Nagata

Laura Owens

Nicholas V Perricone

Kurt Rauschenbach

Takayuki Ohshiro

A light emitting sealed body includes: a housing which stores a discharge gas and is provided with a first opening to which first light is incident along a first optical axis and a second opening from which second light is emitted along a second optical axis; a first window portion which hermetically seals the first opening; and a second window portion which hermetically seals the second opening. The housing is formed of a light shielding material which does not transmit the first light and the second light. An internal space is defined by the housing, the first window portion, and the second window portion and the internal space is filled with the discharge gas. The first opening and the second opening are disposed so that the first optical axis and the second optical axis intersect each other.

Light emitting sealed body and light source device

An electrodeless laser-driven light source includes a laser that generates a CW sustaining light. A pump laser generates pump light. A Q-switched laser crystal receives the pump light generated by the pump laser and generates pulsed laser light at an output in response to the generated pump light. A first optical element projects the pulsed laser light along a first axis to a breakdown region in a gas-filled bulb comprising an ionizing gas. A second optical element projects the CW sustaining light along a second axis to a CW plasma region in the gas-filled bulb comprising the ionizing gas. A detector detects plasma light generated by a CW plasma and generates a detection signal at an output. A controller generates control signals that control the pump light to the Q-switched laser crystal so as to extinguish the pulsed laser light within a time delay after the detection signal exceeds a threshold level.

Laser-driven light source with electrodeless ignition

An electrodeless laser-driven light source includes a laser source that generates a CW sustaining light and a pump laser that generates a pump. An optical beam combiner combines the CW sustaining light and the pump such that the CW sustaining light and the pump propagate co-linearly. A Q-switched laser crystal generates pulsed light in response to the pump. A gas-filled bulb is configured such that the pulsed light ignites a pulse plasma in a breakdown region of the gas bulb and the sustaining light sustains a CW plasma in a CW plasma region of the gas bulb, thereby emitting a high brightness light from the gas bulb, where the gas-filled bulb is positioned between the output of the pump laser and the pump input of the Q-switched laser crystal such that the CW plasma absorbs the pump light quenching the pulsed light generated by the Q-switched laser crystal.

All-optical laser-driven light source with electrodeless ignition

A plasma engine includes a plasma source having a gas input for receiving a first molecular gas species and that generates ions at an output from the received first molecular gas species. An ion extractor positioned proximate to the output of the plasma source extracts ions from the plasma source with an electric field. A housing includes a region that receives ions extracted from the ion extractor, wherein at least some of the extracted ions react with a second molecular gas species present in the housing to generate thrust.

Plasma engine using ion extraction

A method of generating light with a laser-driven light source includes generating a CW sustaining light and propagating the CW sustaining light to a gas filled bulb comprising an ionizing gas. A pump light is generated. A Q-switched laser crystal is irradiated with the generated pump light, thereby generating pulsed laser light. The pulsed laser light is propagated to the gas filled bulb comprising the ionizing gas so as to generate a CW plasma that emits light. The light generated by the CW plasma in the gas filled bulb is detected. The pump light is controlled so as to extinguish the pulsed laser light after the light generated by the CW plasma is detected.

A light emitting sealed body includes a housing which stores a discharge gas in an internal space and is provided with a first window portion to which first light is incident and a second window portion from which second light is emitted. The housing includes at least one flow path which is partitioned from the internal space and extends toward at least one of the first window portion and the second window portion.

Light emitting sealed body, light emitting unit, and light source device

A light emitting sealed body includes: a housing which stores a discharge gas and is provided with a first opening to which first light is incident along a first optical axis and a second opening from which second light is emitted along a second optical axis; a first window portion which hermetically seals the first opening; a second window portion which hermetically seals the second opening; and a first electrode and a second electrode. The housing is formed of a light shielding material which does not transmit the first light and the second light. An internal space is defined by the housing, the first window portion, and the second window portion and the internal space is filled with the discharge gas. The first opening and the second opening are disposed so that the first optical axis and the second optical axis intersect each other.

An electrodeless laser-driven light source includes a laser source that generates CW sustaining light. A pump laser generates pump light. A Q-switched laser crystal is positioned to receive the pump light and generates pulsed laser light in response to the generated pump light that propagates to a breakdown region in a gas filled bulb comprising an ionizing gas. A detector detects plasma light generated by a CW plasma located at least partly in a CW plasma region in the gas filled bulb comprising the ionizing gas and generates a detection signal. A controller generates control signals that control the pump light to the Q-switched laser crystal so as to extinguish the pulsed laser light within a time delay after the detection signal exceeds a threshold level.

A plasma engine includes a plasma source that generates ions from molecular gas species received at a gas input where at least some of the ions generated are atomic species ions. An ion extractor is configured to extract ions from the plasma source with an electric field. A housing comprising a recombination region receives ions extracted from the ion extractor. At least some of the atomic species ions recombine into molecular species in the housing, thereby releasing energy for thrust.

Plasma engine using reactive species

A light emitting unit includes a light emitting sealed body and a voltage application circuit. The light emitting sealed body includes a container to which laser light for maintaining plasma is incident and from which light from the plasma is emitted, a first electrode which includes a first discharge portion, and a second electrode which includes a second discharge portion. An end portion of the first discharge portion has a shape in which a thickness is thinned as it goes toward the second discharge portion and an end surface of the second discharge portion extends along a plane perpendicular to an extending direction of the first discharge portion. The voltage application circuit controls a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode by adjusting a voltage applied to at least the first electrode.

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Townsend, WA, United States of America

Matthew Partlow