Laser isotope separation apparatus

Abstract

The laser isotope separation apparatus utilizes the circularly-polarized light to selectively excite the isotopes to the first or the second excited level. In case where the isotope shift is equal to or smaller than the line width of the laser light, it can be selectively ionized and separated because the isotopes absorb the circularly-polarized light based on the angular momentum selection rule and are excited and the isotopes not excited according to the mass number of isotopes (or those having nuclear spin not equal to zero and equal to zero). The selective excitation by the angular momentum selection rule and the ionization are performed by 3 steps of excitation. Three excitation wavelengths are generated from two or more lasers, and the optical paths of these light beams are made to be in same length by optical delay circuit. Accordingly, even when the laser light source is pulse-operating, selective excitation and ionization can be performed. Also, because the first circularly-polarized laser light and the second circularly-polarized laser light are irradiated on the substance containing the gasified isotopes from opposite directions, Doppler effects of the moving atoms can be canceled each other vector-wise, and the separation efficiency is increased.