A repetitively pulsed gas laser in which a system of mechanical shutters bracketing the laser cavity manipulate pressure waves resulting from residual energy in the cavity gas following a lasing event so as to draw fresh gas into the cavity and effectively pump spent gas in a dynamic closed loop.

A transversely electrically excited atmospheric pressure gas laser working in a pulsed mode (TEA laser) includes a cooled working gas conducted in circulation, a cooled cathode, an anode arranged at a distance from the cathode, and an open-worked auxiliary electrode arranged therebetween. The cooled cathode is designed as a metallic conducting, elongated cathode plate extending in the direction of the optical axis and the auxiliary electrode is arranged parallel to the cathode in the cathode dro...

Method and apparatus for generating electromagnetic energy by creating a population inversion between upper and lower energy levels in a target substance. The population inversion is maintained by exciting the individual particles to a short lived resonant negative ion-like state and then to a particular neutral state at a rate greater than the total rate of decay from the resonant negative ion-like state to the various lower energy levels. Particles in the resonant negative ion-like state decay...

This application relates to fuel for a chemical laser in which carbon monosulfide (CS) is reacted with oxygen atoms (O) to fuel a carbon monoxide (CO) chemical laser. The use of carbon monosulfide results in faster pumping of the laser, less heating of the medium, and a lessened need for oxygen atoms in the system.

A high-power gas laser pumped by an intense, pulsed, space charge-and current-neutralized ion beam. A high-pressure gas in the laser cavity is ionized by an ion beam. Atomic processes occur which result in a population inversion for the excited states of the gas. Coherent radiation is then emitted by the excited gas atoms in the inverted state. The light is amplified as it traverses the gas. Multiple traversal can be obtained by using an optical cavity comprising mirrors which reflect the light ...

In an optically pumped high power laser the optical pump includes a housing containing a pair of flash lamps and an elliptical reflector assembly for reflecting the optical pumping radiation into the laser gain medium, such as a YAG rod. Water coolant is directed through the housing in contacting relation with the YAG rod and flash lamps. An ultraviolet band reject filter, comprising a split cylindrical sleeve, is disposed surrounding the laser gain medium in between the laser gain medium and th...

A cooling jacket for parallel triggered flash lamps, particularly useful in optically pumped lasers, is disclosed having an optically clear cylindrical outer envelope within which a glass-insulated trigger wire assembly is integrally formed. The high potentials required for reliable triggering of the flash lamp is substantially reduced by virtue of placing the trigger wire in close proximity to the cooled lamp, and the insulated trigger wire technique significantly increases the useful life of t...

Laser apparatus comprising combinations of an excimer pump laser and a rare earth-doped solid matrix, utilizing the 5d-4f radiative transition in a rare earth ion to produce visible and ultra-violet laser radiation with high overall efficiency in selected cases and relatively long radiative lifetimes.

A tunable alkali metallic vapor laser system is disclosed. Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in a low pressure atomic alkali metallic vapor of potassium or cesium is utilized wherein the atomic vapor is provided and then primed to populate an intermediate level such as the 4P.sub.1/2 level for potassium and the 6P.sub.1/2 level for cesium from which the desired upper laser level is accessible. After the population is created at the intermediate level, it is pumped to a virtual level near the des...

Far-infrared tunable radiation is produced in a four-level laser system by using a pumping means for exciting population from the lowest level of the system to the upper level of a laser transition to create a population inversion between the upper and lower levels of the laser transition and a laser beam which is nearly resonant with the lower level of the laser transition and a fourth level of the system. The laser beam shifts the lower level of the laser transition according to the dynamic St...