A gas-discharge laser having a Brewster window near at least one of the reflectors which is secured directly to the laser tube. The Brewster window is secured to a surface of the laser tube and a normal to the window makes an angle equal to the Brewster angle with the axis of the laser tube. The surface may be a slot in the laser tube or a recessed end face of the laser tube near a reflector. An advantage is that the Brewster window may have any convenient diameter and that the laser tube need n...

A gas discharge laser includes a laser capillary in a tubular glass envelope which has at its two ends reflectors having optical axes which coincide with the axis of the laser capillary and which together constitute a laser resonator. A Brewster window is mounted in the envelope immediately before one of the reflectors. The Brewster window is placed in a holder manufactured from metal sheet material so that one side thereof is pressed against three regions of engagement on the holder whereby no ...

In a housing for a high energy laser, an aperture is formed to allow projection of the beam from the laser. A transparent membrane is attached over the aperture in order to prevent contaminants from entering the housing and provide a low cost, low distortion window to the projected beam.

A wire, comprising a shape memory alloy, is shaped to define a perimeter of an aperture having an adjustable size. The wire is responsive to current flow through the wire to vary the length of the wire, and thereby the length of the perimeter of the aperture. A controllable power supply is coupled to the wire, for supplying a controllable current through the wire to adjust its length, and thereby to adjust the size of the aperture. The aperture is suited for controlling transverse modes in a las...

A gas laser tube includes a metal supporting body installed at one end of the laser tube. A seal casing is secured to the supporting body, and accommodates at least one cylindrical holding body having one end cut to a Brewster angle, and an optical flat plate installed in close contact with the cut surface of the holding body. A reflecting mirror is secured to an end of the seal casing.

A fluid-filled amplifier cell for laser generation comprises an elongated housing wherein at least one end contains, within the cell, a window supported at the Brewster angle and wherein such end is plugged with a mirror.

Gaseous flux laser oscillator of the type in which a gaseous mixture is excited axially within the optical resonant cavity by an electrical discharge. A hole drilled in one of the mirrors of the optical cavity enables both the exiting of the light beam produced and the inserting of the gas in the discharge tube in the form of a high-speed jet causing a swirling flow. Application to the increasing of the power of gaseous flux lasers.

An annular laser having an elongated centrally located flashlamp enclosed in a quartz tube as well as adjustable and interchangeable laser windows. The position of the flashlamp produces a gain region with a smoothly varying radial intensity distribution with uniform azimuthal output. The mechanism which permits adjustment and interchangeability of the laser windows allows the invention to be utilized as a useful tool in the study of annular optics.

A gas discharge laser in which a plane parallel transparent plate whose normal encloses an angle with the axis of the laser tube equal to the Brewster angle is arranged in at least one of the ends of the laser tube. The plate is secured to the adjacent reflector so that the plate can easily be replaced.

A laser utilizing a unique assembly for mounting a Brewster angle window. The mounting assembly includes an elongated annular member having a transverse slot at the appropriate Brewster angle to the plane perpendicular to the axis of the annular member. A rectangular window is held in place in the slot by the tension of a leaf spring. The mounting assembly may then be inserted in place at either the anode or cathode ends of the laser and permanently held in place without introducing any stresses...