Hughes Aircraft Company

Thomas K Plant

Charles K Asawa

Apparatus is disclosed for modulating the R(18) or the R(24) lines of the (00.degree.1 - 10.degree.0) vibrational band of a C.sup.13 O.sub.2.sup.16 laser using Stark-tuned absorption resonances in N.sup.14 H.sub.3. A dc electric field is applied to a Stark cell containing N.sup.14 H.sub.3 gas to tune the asQ(6,6) absorbing transition in N.sup.14 H.sub.3 so as to overlap the R(18) laser line or the asQ(2,2) transition so as to overlap the R(24) line. Modulating frequencies approaching 300 MHz can be employed, and a 100% modulation depth is achievable with audio modulating frequencies. Unsaturated modulation has been obtained using a Stark cell of 10 cm length and containing N.sup.14 H.sub.3 gas at a pressure of 0.45 Torr for a laser power density of 12 watts per cm.sup.2.

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Thousand Oaks, CA, United States of America

Thomas K Plant