Laser isotope separation and gas purification by multiple photon absorption enhanced by heating
AssigneeUniversity of Rochester
InventorsDavid O. Ham, Wei-Shin Tsay
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Abstract
The efficiencies of laser isotope separation processes based on multiple photon absorption from infrared laser pulses are enhanced thermally by raising the temperature of the gas upon which the laser beam is incident, thereby increasing the absorption and the isotopically selective excitation which enables isotopes in the gas to be separated. This same enhancement is applicable to processes for laser purification of gases which involve multiple photon absorption from infrared laser pulses.
Claims14
In a method of separating a desired isotope or impurity from a gaseous mixture containing the isotope or impurity wherein the mixture is irradiated with a laser which selectively excites the desired isotope or impurity by means of multiphoton absorption of the energy of said laser,
- the improvement which comprises the step of enhancing multiphoton absorption by heating the gaseous mixture, said isotope or impurity possessing spectral absorption features sufficiently distinct from the features of the remainder of the mixture to allow selective excitation when heated.
The method for separation of isotopes or impurities present in the molecules of a gas which have a spectral absorption shift larger than their spectral thermal shift and are selectively excitable when heated which comprises the steps of causing said isotopes or impurities to absorb multiple photons to selectively raise said isotopes or impurities to an excited energy state, heating said gas to enhance the multiple photon absorption by said isotopes or impurities while they are being caused to absorb multiple photons, and extracting said excited isotopes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.