Deutsche Forschungsanstalt Fuer Luft- Und Raumfahrt E.v.

Deutsches Zentrum Fuer Luft-Und Raumfahrt E.v

Rolf Nowack

Hans Opower

Wolfram Schock

Hansjoerg Bochum

Klaus Wessel

In order to improve upon a laser system, comprising a laser-active medium which is arranged between mutually opposed waveguide surfaces of an optical waveguide and a resonator which by means of resonator mirrors defines a coherent resonator radiation field permeating the optical waveguide and from which a plurality of mutually coherent radiation fields issue, in such manner that higher laser output power levels can be attained it is proposed that the plurality of radiation fields are conducted as coupled-out radiation fields to a coupling element, and that the coupling element combines the plurality of radiation fields with a defined mutual phase relationship to form one single coherent output radiation field.

Laser system

In order to produce a gas discharge structure for two-dimensionally extending gas discharges comprising a pair of electrodes including a first and a second electrode which have mutually facing electrode surfaces, a gas discharge space arranged between the electrode surfaces with a plasma gas provided therein and a high frequency source with which a current can be fed into the pair of electrodes for producing a plasma between the first and the second electrode, in such a way that wavelength dependent modulations of the field strength substantially no longer occur in the gas discharge space, it be proposed that, the electrode surface of the first electrode is divided into two partial electrode surfaces that are located adjacent to one another in this electrode surface but are electrically separated from one another, that the partial electrode surfaces have mutually facing edge regions which extend at a defined distance from one another, that the partial electrode surfaces be connected to two terminals of the high frequency source which are at different potentials in such a way that a surface current flows over one of the edge regions to and then over the other one and that the second electrode be at an intermediate potential which lies between that of the two partial electrodes.

Gas discharge structure

In order to improve a wave guide laser comprising a wave guide arranged between two resonator mirrors and having an outer cylindrical wave guide surface and an inner cylindrical wave guide surface facing the outer surface and arranged within this outer surface in spaced relation thereto, the two surfaces together forming a wave guide having a radiation coherent in the entire wave guide and essentially expanding in axial direction, and a high-frequency excited and diffusion-cooled laser gas arranged between the wave guide surfaces, such that the high-power Laser beam can be outcoupled by an element which is constructionally simple to produce and inexpensive, it is suggested that the second resonator mirror be composed in azimuthal direction of a plurality of successive reflecting segments, that outcoupling openings for the laser radiation to be outcoupled be provided between the respective reflecting segments and that the entire radiation expanding in the wave guide be diffraction-coupled in azimuthal direction.

Growing community of inventors

Leonberg, Germany

Rolf Nowack