Medium for gas laser excited by ionizing particles

Coherent light generators – Particular active media – Gas

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372 56, 372 60, 372 76, 372 90, H01S 322, H01S 3223

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048415375

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to quantum electronics and, more specifically, it deals with a gas laser medium excited by ionizing particles.


PRIOR ART

Known in the art is a laser medium for generation at the 3p-3s neon transition consisting of helium and neon at a total concentration of up to 7.multidot.10.sup.15 cm.sup.-3 and argon traces, which are excited with a fast electric discharge (Applied Optics, Vol. 4, No. 5, 1965, May, New York, W. B. Bridges, A. N. Chester. "Visible & NV Laser Oscillation at 118 Wavelengths in Ionized Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon, Oxygen & Other Gases", pp. 573-580; pp. 573, 577). Generation with atomic neon in the visible spectral area (.lambda.=5852.5 .ANG.) was first obtained in this medium at the transition 3p'[1/2].sub.o -3s'[1/2].sub.1. However, laser efficiency was very low and the capillary nature of discharge restricted divergence of radiation at a low level, the generation being self-limiting with a maximum duration of 10 ns so that the field of application of the laser was rather limited and requirements imposed upon an injection source were very stringent.
Also known in the art is a laser medium for generation at the 3p'[1/2].sub.o -3s'[1/2].sub.1 transition of neon (.lambda.=5852.5 .ANG.) consisting of neon and hydrogen with a total concentration of about 2.multidot.10.sup.19 cm.sup.-3 with a hydrogen concentration.gtoreq.30%, which is excited by an electrical discharge (Optics Communications, Vol. 36, No. 3, 1981, February, Amsterdam, D. Schmieder, D. J. Brink, T. I. Salamon, E. G. Jones. "A High Pressure 585.3 nm Neon Laser", pp. 223-226). The quasicontinuous generation mode at .lambda.=5852.5 .ANG. with a duration up to 140 ns was first realized here, but laser efficiency remained low--at a level of several thousandths of a percent (maximum obtainable energy of 9 .mu.J), the laser volume being limited as well.
Low efficiency of these lasers is caused by a non-optimum composition of the laser medium and inefficient population of the upper laser level when excited with an electrical discharge.
Also known in the art is a gas laser medium excited by ionizing particles, consisting of helium, neon and argon or krypton with a total concentration of more than 10.sup.19 cm.sup.-3 with a concentration of argon or krypton between 3.multidot.10.sup.16 cm.sup.-3 and a value which amounts to 15% of the total concentration (SU, A, 1344179). Here, with a moderate specific injection power which may be realized using existing sources of ionizing radiation in the pulse-intermittent mode, an efficiency of 1 to 1.3% was achieved at .lambda.=5852.5 .ANG. and of 0.3% at .lambda.=7245 .ANG.. Excitation with ionizing particles makes it possible to achieve generation within a large active volume and to obtain substantially the diffraction divergence at an aperture of 10 cm and more. Efficiency is determined by efficiency of population of the top laser level and might have been 2 to 2.5% at .lambda.=5852.5 .ANG. and 1 to 1.5% at .lambda. =7245 .ANG.. A reduction of efficiency in comparison with the ultimate efficiency is caused by a substantial non-resonance absorption in the laser medium which also results in a lower specific radiated power.


DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a gas laser source excited by ionizing particles which ensures an improvement of efficiency and an increase in specific laser radiation power at the 3p-3s neon transitions.
This object is accomplished by that there is provided a gas laser medium excited by ionizing particles, containing helium, neon, argon or krypton with a total concentration of more than 10.sup.19 cm.sup.-3 and a concentration of argon or krypton, ranging from 3.multidot.10.sup.16 cm.sup.-3 and a value which amounts to 15% of the total concentration which, according to the invention, contains at least one more component selected from the group consisting of xenon, hydrogen, hydrogen isotopes, or a mixture of these components in various combinations, the concentration of each of the compone

REFERENCES:
patent: 4369514 (1983-01-01), Silfvast et al.
patent: 4672625 (1987-06-01), Sheng
"Visible & uv Laser Oscillation at 118 Wavelengths in Ionized Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon, Oxygen & Other Gases", by W. B. Bridges et al., Applied Optics, vol. 4, No. 5, May 1965, pp. 573-580.
"A High Pressure 585.3 nm Neon Laser", by D. Schmieder et al., Optics Communications, vol. 36, No. 3, Feb. 1981, pp. 223-226.
"Moschny Ne-H.sub.2 Laser s Nakachkoi ot Malogabaritnogo Promyshlennogo Uskoritelya", by F. V. Bunkin et al., Kvantovaya Elektronika, vol. 12, No. 10, 1985, (Sovetskoe Radio Publ., Moscow), pp. 1993-1994.
"Issledovanie Generatsii v Neone pri Nakachke Samostoyatelnym Razryadom s UF Pred oniazatsiei", by M. I. Lomaev et al., Kvantovaya Elektronika, vol. 14, No. 5, 1987, (Sovetskoe Radio Publ., Moscow), pp. 993-995.
"O Vliyanii na Energeticheskie Kharakteristiki Lazerov Vysokogo Davlenia s Nakachkoi Elektronnym Puchkom na Smesyakh He-Ar, Kr, Xe", by N. G. Basov et al., Kvantovaya Elektronika, vol. 13, No. 3, 1986, (Sovetskoe Radio Publ., Moscow), pp. 488-492.

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