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Patent Number: |
6434174 |
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Case ID: |
0 |
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Patent Title:
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Repetitively pulsed Q-switched chemical oxygen-iodine laser
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Status: |
ACTIVE |
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Status Date: |
6/5/2005 10:38:08 AM |
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Issue Date:
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8/13/2002 |
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Filed Date:
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10/7/1985 |
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Serial #:
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785186 |
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Assignee Name:
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United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force (Washington, DC)
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Inventor(s):
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Hager, Gordon D. ,
Schlie, Laverne A. ,
Rathge, Robert D. ,
Shea, Robert F. |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to chemical oxygen-iodine lasers, and,
more particularly to a repetitively pulsed chemical oxygen-iodine laser in
which the threshold of the resonator is reduced by the incorporation
therein of a scaleable intracavity gas phase Q-switch.
It is well recognized in the art that photochemical iodine lasers are
capable of generating pulsed emission of very short duration and high
energy. Examples of such photochemical iodine lasers can be found in the
"Handbook of Chemical Lasers," edited by R. W. F. Gross and J. F. Bott,
John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1976, chapter 12, pages 670-701. In the
photochemical iodine laser the population inversion is produced in the
flash photolysis of a parent alkyl-iodide, generally C.sub.3 F.sub.7 --I
or CF.sub.3 --I. The iodine atom that is produce in the photolysis process
is in the upper laser level, .sup.2 P.sub.1/2.
. . . . More |
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A repetitively pulsed chemical oxygen-iodine laser having a resonant cavity
containing a lasing medium in the form of a flowing mixture of excited
oxygen and iodine atoms and an iodine absorption region within the
resonant cavity. The iodine absorption region includes a source of iodine
atoms and a magnetic field associated therewith. Selectively altering the
magnetic field results in changing the absorption characteristics of the
iodine atoms and therefore effectively pulses the output of the laser.
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We claim:
1. A repetitively pulsed chemical oxygen-iodine laser, comprising:
a resonant cavity defined by a pair of optically aligned reflecting
surfaces;
a laser medium situated within said resonant cavity, said lasing medium
being in the form of a flowing mixture of excited oxygen and iodine atoms,
and said flowing mixture of oxygen and iodine producing a laser action
within said resonant cavity resulting in a laser beam being output
therefrom; and
means situated within said resonant cavity for controlling absorption
within said resonant cavity in order to pulse said laser beam output, said
absorption controlling means including means for producing iodine atoms
within an absorption region and means operably associated with said iodine
atoms within said absorption region for providing a controllable magnetic
field in communication therewith;
wherein application of said magnetic field produces tra . . . . More |
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