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US 3,944,947 AGranted
Laser amplifier system
AssigneeJersey Nuclear-Avco Isotopes, Inc.
InventorsCharles T. Pike, Richard H. Levy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A laser amplifier system having plural parallel paths for amplification of laser radiation from a single, stable laser oscillator. The plural paths of laser amplification are excited to produce sequential pulses of amplified output radiation that are interleaved by an optical combining system to produce a single path of amplified, pulsed radiation of increased repetition rate.
Claims21
A laser amplifier system comprising:
- a laser oscillator stabilized in frequency of radiation output;
- a plurality of laser amplifier channels;
- means for distributing laser radiation from said laser oscillator to each of said plurality of laser amplifier channels in parallel;
- and
- means for sequential pulse activation of each of the laser amplifier channels, said sequential pulse activation means including means for providing repeated sequential activation, thereby resulting in a series of laser output pulses, which series includes a plurality of pulses from each laser amplifier channel.
2 more elements
The laser amplifier system of claim wherein each of said plurality of laser amplifier channels includes a transverse pumped laser amplifier.
A laser amplification system comprising:
- a CW dye laser oscillator providing output laser radiation tuned for isotopically selective excitation of a uranium isotope;
- a plurality of laser amplifiers having an elongate, small cross-sectional area transversely pumped region of laser amplification;
- means for directing laser radiation from said CW dye laser oscillator in parallel through each of said elongate laser amplification regions;
- a source of pulse excitation for transverse application thereof to the elongate region of laser amplification whereby a plurality of pulses of amplified laser radiation from said CW dye laser oscillator are provided by each of said plurality of elongate laser amplification regions;
- the pulses from said regions being in a staggered time sequence;
- means responsive to the amplified pulses of laser radiation from each of said elongate laser amplification regions to provide an increase in the duration of the laser radiation pulses;
- and
- means responsive to the elongated pulses of laser radiation from each of said elongate laser amplification regions to combine the pulses thereof onto a single path for laser radiation of augmented pulse rate.
5 more elements
A laser system for generating a high pulse repetition rate beam of pulsed laser radiation of high spectral purity and limited spectral width comprising:
- a CW dye laser providing output laser radiation tuned for isotopically selective excitation of a uranium isotope;
- a feedback system for said CW dye laser to adjust the tuning thereof to provide a stable frequency of output laser radiation at an absorption frequency for said uranium isotope without correspondingly encompassing an absorption line for another isotope of uranium;
- a plurality of laser amplifiers;
- means for directing laser radiation from said CW dye laser oscillator in parallel through each of said plurality of laser amplifiers;
- a source of pulse excitation for each of said plurality of laser amplifiers to provide at the output of each of said plurality of laser amplifiers a beam of amplified pulsed laser radiation;
- means for sequencing the pulse timing of the pulses in the beams from said plurality of laser amplifiers to provide an equal interval between pulses from each individual laser amplifier and within the interval between each pulse thereof providing a pulse from each of the other of said plurality of laser amplifiers evenly distributed throughout said interval;
- means responsive to the amplified pulses of laser radiation from each of said plurality of laser amplifiers for adding to each pulse of said beam a plurality of additional, like pulses to provide a sequence of adjacent pulses with the effect of elongating each of the pulses from said plurality of laser amplifiers;
- and
- a rotating optical system sequenced to receive each of the elongated pulses from each of said plurality of laser amplifiers on separate input paths and to redirect said pulses only a single output path to provide a composite beam of augmented pulse rate.
6 more elements
A laser amplifying method comprising the steps of:
- generating laser oscillation stabilized in frequency of radiation output;
- distributing the laser oscillation to each of a plurality of laser amplifier channels arranged in parallel;
- sequentially activating each of the laser amplifier channels to produce an output pulse of laser amplified radiation;
- and
- repeating the above steps to provide a continuous series of laser output pulses, which series include a plurality of pulses from each of the laser amplifier channels.
2 more elements
A laser amplifier system comprising:
- a laser oscillator stabilized in frequency of radiation output;
- a plurality of laser amplifier channels, including means for providing pulses of amplified oscillator laser radiation and means for elongating the duration of the pulses of amplified laser radiation;
- and
- means for distributing laser radiation from said laser oscillator to each of said plurality of laser amplifier channels in parallel.
1 more element
A laser amplifier system comprising:
- a laser oscillator stabilized in frequency of radiation output and including an argon laser excitation source and a continuous wave dye laser;
- a plurality of laser amplifier channels;
- and
- means for distributing laser radiation from said laser oscillator to each of said plurality of laser amplifier channels in parallel.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.