Three dimensional display apparatus

A three-dimensional visual display apparatus comprising:

• (a) a sealed chamber having one or more walls which are transparent to visible light,
• (b) a single active element gas contained in said sealed chamber comprised of atoms or molecules having a ground state and a first excitation state having an excitation energy above said ground state, the difference defining a first energy level and a plurality of additional excitation states having excitation energies above said ground state, the difference defining a plurality of additional energy levels, for which said plurality of additional excitation states relax with the release of visible light of a plurality of colors,
• (c) a first laser means for producing a first beam of laser radiation comprised of photons having energy equal or approximately equal to said first energy level,
• (d) a plurality of additional laser means for producing a plurality of additional beams of laser radiation comprised of photons having energy respectively equal to or approximately equal to the difference between said plurality of additional levels and said first energy level,
• (e) means for rapidly moving and directing said first laser beam and said plurality of additional laser beams so as raise the energy level of a substantial portion of the atoms in small volumes of said gas to said first energy level with said first laser beam and so as to further raise the energy level of a substantial portion of the atoms in said small volumes to one of said plurality of additional energy levels with said plurality of additional laser beams so as to produce small volume sources of visible light of selective colors which in combination produce what appears to the human eye as a three-dimensional multi-color display.

A three-dimensional visual display apparatus comprising:

• (a) a sealed chamber having one or more walls which are transparent to visible light,
• (b) a single active element gas contained in said sealed chamber comprised of atoms or molecules having a ground state and a first excitation state having an excitation energy above said ground state, the difference defining a first energy level and a second excitation state having an excitation energy above said ground state, the difference defining a second energy level for which said second excitation state relaxes with the release of visible light,
• (c) a first laser means or light source for producing a first beam of laser or light radiation comprised of photons having energy equal or approximately equal to said first energy level,
• (d) a second laser means or light source for producing a second beam of laser or light radiation comprised of photons having energy equal to or approximately equal to the difference between said second energy level an said first energy level,
• (e) means for directing said first laser beam or light source and said second laser beam or light source so as raise the energy level of a substantial portion of the atoms in small volumes of said gas to said first energy level with said first laser beam and so as to further raise the energy level of a substantial portion of the atoms in portions of said small volumes to said second energy level with said second laser beam so as to produce small volume sources of visible light which in combination produce what appears to the human eye as a static three-dimensional display.