Method and apparatus for generating laser radiation having multiple wavelengths with synchronized and spatially overlapping beam propagation
AssigneeMax-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Wissenschaften e.V.
InventorsHermann Bucher, Werner Fuss, Wolfram E. Schmid
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for gerating pulsed laser radiation which contains components at several freely selectable wavelengths. Multi-wavelength emission is synchronized in time, propagates in a precise spatial overlap and has the same beam parameters on a common propagation direction. A preferred embodiment of an apparatus for a such method is a low pressure CO.sub.2 laser gas discharge in conjunction with a multi-wavelength resonator including a Q switch.
Claims10
A method for producing pulsed laser radiation having a plurality of wavelengths on a common beam axis comprising the steps of:
- exciting a laser medium in a laser resonator which is tuned simultaneously to different wavelengths, the laser medium having a plurality of laser levels between which energy exchange time constants are long compared to the duration of pulsed laser emission;
- suppressing, during excitation of the laser medium, the oscillation of the laser using a resonator Q switch located in the resonator, until inversion of a plurality of laser levels has been realized;
- and
- switching the resonator Q switch after said suppression step to produce simultaneously the pulsed laser radiation having a plurality of wavelengths on a common beam axis of the laser resonator.
A multi-wavelength laser comprising:
- a laser resonator having a common beam axis and including means for simultaneously tuning the laser resonator to a plurality of wavelengths;
- a laser medium in said laser resonator having a plurality of laser levels between which energy exchange time constants are long compared to the duration of the pulsed laser emission;
- and
- at least one Q switch contained in said laser resonator for suppressing, during excitation of the laser medium, the oscillation of the multi-wavelength laser, until inversion of a plurality of laser levels has been realized, and thereafter for switching the Q of the resonator to produce simultaneously pulsed laser radiation having a plurality of wavelengths on the common beam axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.