Technique for increasing the efficiency of low pressure, short pulse laser systems
AssigneeWestinghouse Electric Corp.
InventorsRichard L. Hunstad, William H. Kasner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The depletion of energy stored in the transfer gas component of a low pressure, short pulse laser system following excitation of the laser gas medium consisting of a lasing gas component and a transfer gas component is achieved by extracting a plurality of output pulses by providing a sufficient delay between output pulses to permit the transfer of energy from the transfer gas component to the lasing gas component.
Claims13
A method for extracting energy from a given volume of an excited active laser gas medium of a laser system operated in a short pulse output mode wherein the active laser gas medium includes a lasing gas component and a transfer gas component, the transfer gas component storing energy upon excitation of the active laser gas medium and transferring energy to the lasing gas component via collisional interaction, and wherein a single output pulse from said given volume of said excited active laser gas medium does not deplete the energy stored in the transfer gas component, comprising the step of,
- developing multiple output pulses from said given volume of excited active laser gas medium by establishing a time delay between consecutive output pulses during which time delay energy is transferred from said transfer gas component to said lasing gas component.
In a low pressure laser system operating in a short pulse output mode including a lasing gas component and a transfer gas component which stores energy upon excitation of the active laser gas medium and transfers energy to the lasing gas component via collisional interaction, wherein a single output pulse from a given volume of the excited active laser gas medium does not deplete the energy stored in the transfer gas component, a combination of,
- means for developing multiple output pulses from a given volume of said excited active laser gas medium by establishing a time delay between consecutive output pulses during which time delay energy is transferred from said transfer gas component to said lasing gas component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.