# US 6,912,238 B2 · Particle beam device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 6,912,238 B2 - Document ID: US6912238B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 10/410,909 - Filed: 2003-04-10 - Published: 2004-10-14 - Granted: 2005-06-28 - Earliest claimed: 2003-04-10 - Assignees: Lockheed Martin Corporation - Inventors: Robert James Howard - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US6912238B2 ## CPC - H01S 3/09: Processes or apparatus for excitation, e.g. pumping - H01S: DEVICES USING THE PROCESS OF LIGHT AMPLIFICATION BY STIMULATED EMISSION OF RADIATION [LASER] TO AMPLIFY OR GENERATE LIGHT; DEVICES USING STIMULATED EMISSION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION IN WAVE RANGES OTHER THAN OPTICAL ## Abstract A laser and method of producing laser light. The laser and method involve passing a high energy beam of particles through an evacuated chamber. A static electric or magnetic field is established in the chamber in a direction that is essentially perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the beam, but which is a periodically varying field in the direction of propagation. The velocity of the particles and the variation in the field is sufficient to pump the particles into a higher energy state and produce laser light at the output of the chamber. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A laser comprising: a source of high energy particles selected from atoms, molecules, and ions, wherein said source imparts a first velocity to said particles; and an evacuated chamber having an input end and an output end, wherein said chamber receives the particles at said input end; wherein said chamber comprises a comb structure capable of forming a static field along a direction that is substantially perpendicular to a direction of propagation of the particles in said chamber; wherein said static field, in combination with said first velocity, is sufficient to increase an energy of the particles to a higher energy state, wherein said higher energy state is a metastable state or decays to a metastable state; and further wherein said metastable state decays to a lower energy state resulting in the stimulated emission of light. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The laser according to claim 1 wherein the field is an electric field. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The laser according to claim 1 wherein the field is a magnetic field. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The laser according to claim 1 further comprising a dc voltage source and circuitry for biasing said comb structure to generate a field that periodically varies in said direction of propagation of said particles. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The laser according to claim 4 wherein a voltage of said dc voltage source is chosen to produce a potential gradient within the range 1 million to 3 million volts per meter. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The laser according to claim 1 wherein said comb structure comprises: a top row of electrically-conductive fingers; and a bottom row of electrically-conductive fingers. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The laser according to claim 6 further comprising a dc voltage source and circuitry for biasing said fingers so that adjacent fingers in a row are at different electrical potentials, and pairs of fingers defined by opposing fingers in said top row and said bottom row are also at different electrical potentials. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The laser according to claim 7 wherein said first velocity of said particles is chosen; and wherein within said top row and said bottom row, fingers that are at the same electrical potential are separated by a first distance; and further wherein said first velocity and said distance are chosen in combination to result in a desired temporal frequency of said higher energy state. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The laser according to claim 6 wherein the fingers comprise magnetic material, and adjacent fingers are magnetized at alternate polarities, and opposing fingers in said top row and said bottom row are also at alternate polarities. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The laser according to claim 1 wherein said first velocity of said particles is greater than 0.9 times the speed of light. ### Claim 11 A method for producing laser light comprising: providing a beam of high energy particles selected from atoms, molecules, and ions, the beam having a first velocity; and forming a field that is static in a direction that is essentially perpendicular to a direction of propagation of said beam and periodically varies in said direction of propagation, wherein said field, in combination with said first velocity, is sufficient to increase an energy of said particles to a higher energy state, wherein said higher energy state is a metastable state or decays to a metastable state; and further wherein said metastable state decays to a lower energy state resulting in the stimulated emission of light. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11 wherein forming a field further comprises forming an electric field. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12 wherein forming a field comprises forming a potential gradient in the range 1 million to 3 million volts per meter. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11 wherein forming a field further comprises forming a magnetic field. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11 wherein providing a beam further comprises providing a beam having said first velocity greater than 0.9 times the speed of light. ### Claim 16 A method for producing laser light comprising: providing a beam of high energy particles selected from atoms, molecules, and ions, wherein said beam has a first velocity; passing the beam through an input end of an evacuated chamber; forming a static field in said chamber in a direction that is essentially perpendicular to a direction of propagation of said beam, wherein said field, in combination with said first velocity, is sufficient to increase an energy of said particles to a meta-stable state; and extracting laser light from an output end of the chamber. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16 wherein forming said static field further comprises applying a constant dc voltage to a comb structure within said chamber. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method according to claim 17 wherein said comb structure comprises a top row and a bottom row of electrically-conductive fingers, the method further comprising applying said dc voltage so that adjacent fingers in said top row and said bottom row are at different electrical potentials, and opposing fingers in said top row and said bottom row are at different electrical potentials. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method according to claim 18 further comprising generating a desired temporal frequency of a desired meta-stable state by appropriately selecting: a distance between fingers in said top row and said bottom row that are at the same electrical potential; and said first velocity of said beam. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16 wherein forming said static field further comprises providing a comb structure having a top row and a bottom row of magnetic fingers, wherein said fingers are magnetized so that adjacent fingers are magnetized at alternate polarities, and opposing fingers in said top row and said bottom row are at alternate polarities.