Calspan Corporation

The United States of America As Represented by the United States

Richard C Bergman

Joseph W Rich

Charles E Treanor

Gregory F Homicz

Method for producing isotopically enriched material by vibration-vibration excitation of gaseous molecules wherein a middle mass isotope of an isotopic mixture including lighter and heavier mass isotopes preferentially populates a higher vibrational mode and chemically reacts to provide a product in which it is enriched. The method can be used for vibration-vibration enrichment of .sup.17 O in a CO reactant mixture.

Method for enriching a middle isotope using vibration-vibration pumping

Laser output from the fundamental, first overtone, and second overtone transitions in CO is achieved in a supersonic flow laser using an electric-discharge-excited CO/He/O.sub.2 mixture.

Molecular laser operating on fundamental and overtone bands

When using CO as the absorbing and lasing species for vibration-vibration energy transfer and subsequent vibration-vibration pumping, CO can be made to dissociate and subsequently form C.sub.2 with isotope separation, or CO may be made to chemically react with N.sub.2 to produce CN with isotope separation.

Method for the initiation of chemical reactions by low pressure optical

The electrical and mass efficiencies of an electrically excited flowing gas laser are improved by lining the discharge tube with a filler which minimizes the regions of slow or recirculating gas flow, and by utilizing a wire anode gas injector to feed laser gases into the discharge.

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Corfu, NY, United States of America

Richard C Bergman