Beam characteristics of a large-bore copper laser with a radiatively cooled plasma
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
- Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
In a large-bore copper vapor laser (CVL), excessive gas heating at the axial region of the discharge lowers its efficiency by thermally populating the metastable lower laser levels. The associated lower gas density also lengthens the discharge field-diffusion time, leading to weaker axial pumping and undesired beam characteristics. The authors` laboratory has developed a novel approach to circumvent this obstacle by cooling the plasma radiatively via a series of segmented metal plates (septa) placed vertically along the length of the tube. This improved tube design significantly lowers the average gas temperature and shortens the radial delay. A 27% increase in laser power was observed with the addition of septa. The authors have characterized the beam intensity profile, spatial and temporal pulse variation, and beam polarization through extensive laboratory measurements. A detailed computational model of the laser has been used to characterize and interpret the laboratory results.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 10167204
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-JC-114954; CONF-940142-42; ON: DE94015139; TRN: AHC29417%%15
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: OE/LASE `94: conference on optics, electro-optics, and laser applications in science and engineering,Los Angeles, CA (United States),22-29 Jan 1994; Other Information: PBD: 18 Jan 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Conduction cooled laser bore structures formed from graphite and other materials
Pressure dependence of copper laser output characteristics