The United States of America As Represented by the United States

The United States of America As Represented by the Department of Energy

Phillip A Arnold

Terry W Alger

Andrew T Anderson

Daniel L Birx

Edward G Cook

Don G Ball

Jerome P Hall

A cooling structure ( ) for use inside a ceramic cylindrical tube ( ) of a metal vapor laser ( ) to cool the plasma in the tube ( ), the cooling structure ( ) comprising a plurality of circular metal members ( ) and mounting members ( ) that position the metal members ( ) coaxially in the tube ( ) to form an annular lasing volume, with the metal members ( ) being axially spaced from each other along the length of the tube ( ) to prevent the metal members from shorting out the current flow through the plasma in the tube ( ) and to provide spaces through which the heat from localized hot spots in the plasma may radiate to the other side of the tube ( ).

Large diameter lasing tube cooling arrangement

A compact high power magnetic compression apparatus and method for delivering high voltage pulses of short duration at a high repetition rate and high peak power output which does not require the use of environmentally unacceptable fluids such as chlorofluorocarbons either as a dielectric or as a coolant, and which discharges very little waste heat into the surrounding air. A first magnetic switch has cooling channels formed therethrough to facilitate the removal of excess heat. The first magnetic switch is mounted on a printed circuit board. A pulse transformer comprised of a plurality of discrete electrically insulated and magnetically coupled units is also mounted on said printed board and is electrically coupled to the first magnetic switch. The pulse transformer also has cooling means attached thereto for removing heat from the pulse transformer. A second magnetic switch also having cooling means for removing excess heat is electrically coupled to the pulse transformer. Thus, the present invention is able to provide high voltage pulses of short duration at a high repetition rate and high peak power output without the use of environmentally unacceptable fluids and without discharging significant waste heat into the surrounding air.

Air and water cooled modulator

A segmented coaxial laser shell assembly having at least two water jacket sections, two pairs of interconnection half rings, a dialectric break ring, and a pair of threaded ring sections. Each water jacket section with an inner tubular section that defines an inner laser cavity with water paths adjacent to at least a portion of the exterior of the inner tubular section, and mating faces at the end of the water jacket section through which the inner laser cavity opens and which defines at least one water port therethrough in communication with the water jackets. The water paths also define in their external surface a circumferential notch set back from and in close proximity to the mating face. The dielectric break ring has selected thickness and is placed between, and in coaxial alignment with, the mating faces of two of the adjacent water jacket sections. The break ring also defines an inner laser cavity of the same size and shape as the inner laser cavity of the water jacket sections and at least one water passage through the break ring to communicate with at least one water port through the mating faces of the water jacket sections.

Insulative laser shell coupler

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Livermore, CA, United States of America

Phillip A Arnold