Pressure wave charged repetitively pulsed gas laser
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorVijay A. Kulkarny
Life of this patent
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Abstract
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.
Claims9
In a repetitively pulsed gas laser comprising a lasing cavity in a laser duct having open upstream and downstream ends, means for initiating a lasing event in said cavity and means for defining a closed loop gas path including inlet and exhaust chambers connected to said duct ends, the improvement comprising first and second gas shutter means for opening and closing said duct to the passage of gas and pressure pulses therethrough disposed in spaced relation along said duct on opposite sides of said cavity between said open ends, and control means coupled to said initiating means and to said shutter means for sequentially operating said first and second shutter means so as to stabilize gas pressure in said cavity preparatory to lasing events and utilize pressure waves caused by lasing events to draw fresh lasing medium into said cavity after lasing events.
In a repetitively pulsed gas laser comprising a lasing cavity in a laser duct having open upstream and downstream ends, means for initiating a lasing event in said cavity and means connected to said duct ends for defining a closed loop gas path, a method of pumping the gas medium through the lasing cavity and said closed loop gas path comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing first and second shutter means in said laser duct respectively upstream and downstream of said lasing cavity,
- (b) with both said shutter means closed, initiating a lasing event in said cavity,
- (c) opening said second shutter means thereby opening the downstream end of said duct whereby the pressure wave caused by said lasing event is reflected from said open end of said duct as a rarefaction wave traveling upstream in said cavity,
- (d) opening said first shutter means such that said rarefaction wave draws fresh gas medium from said gas path into said cavity through said first shutter means, and then
- (e) closing said first and second shutter means thereby stabilizing the gas pressure in said cavity preparatory to initiating a subsequent lasing event.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.