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US 5,114,661 AGranted
Solid state laser media driven by remote nuclear powered fluorescence
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy
InventorMark A. Prelas
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Abstract
An apparatus is provided for driving a solid state laser by a nuclear powered fluorescence source which is located remote from the fluorescence source. A nuclear reaction produced in a reaction chamber generates fluorescence or photons. The photons are collected from the chamber into a waveguide, such as a fiber optic waveguide. The waveguide transports the photons to the remote laser for exciting the laser.
Claims5
An apparatus for driving solid state laser media by a remote nuclear-powered source comprising:
- a) a nuclear reaction chamber producing diffuse fluorescence in the visible to infrared range, the reaction chamber including an aperture containing a lens capable of collecting the diffuse fluorescence from the reaction chamber, and further wherein the reaction chamber has an interior surface coated with material which is reflective and transmissive to visible to near infrared light such that the diffuse fluorescence collected in the reaction chamber by the lens is in the absorption bands of the remote solid state laser;
- b) channeling means for channeling the fluorescence from the reaction chamber to the remote laser;
- the channeling means including a waveguide adjacent to the lens for channeling the collected fluorescence from the lens to the remotely located laser and,
- c) coupling means for coupling the fluorescence to the laser such that the fluorescence is absorbed into the laser and pumps the laser.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.