A frequency-doubled pulsed chemical oxygen-iodine laser as an efficient pump source for high power solid-state lasers

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:234225

Kryukov, P G ^[1]

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1. Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation). P.N. Lebedev Physical Inst.

Output laser parameters are enhanced significantly by using laser pumping. An excellent example is usage laser diodes for solid-state laser pumping. Although there are permanent advances towards development of this technique, its application for laser systems of more than 100J output requires time, significant effort and expense. The author proposes another pumping source based on a rather simple and inexpensive technique and admitted scaling up to propose energy values which are beyond the reach now with the diodes. This is a pulsed chemical oxygen-iodine laser (COIL) with intracavity frequency doubling. The COIL operates on a laser transition of atomic iodine (1.315{micro}m). The upper laser level populates via energy transfer from metastable oxygen molecules (O{sub 2}({sup 1}{Delta})-singlet oxygen) which formed in a rather simple chemical reaction between an alkaline solution of hydrogen peroxide and gaseous chlorine. The COIL is a gas laser of low pressure (not more than several torrs), having high output parameters and efficiency. A peculiar mechanism of inversion formation makes difficult to realize a pulsed mode operation by convention techniques. In particular, there is a limitation of energy stored in large volume. This problem has been solved in their laboratory by forming of atomic iodine with external exposure on some iodides. As a result a pulsed COIL system with an external initiation arose. High optical quality of an active medium and rather high intensity permit to get 100% intracavity frequency doubling. Wavelength (657.5nm) is suitable for pumping of some efficient laser materials as Cr:LiSAF, and garnets codoped with Cr{sup 3+} and TR{sup 3+} ions. It is possible to use the proposed laser system to pump large-size laser elements of laser-drivers for ICF.

• OSTI ID: 234225
• Report Number(s): CONF-9505264--; ISBN 0-8194-1997-4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ALUMINIUM FLUORIDES
CHEMICAL LASERS
CHROMIUM IONS
DOPED MATERIALS
HARMONIC GENERATION
INERTIAL FUSION DRIVERS
LITHIUM FLUORIDES
OPTICAL PUMPING
PERFORMANCE
POPULATION INVERSION
Q-SWITCHING
SOLID STATE LASERS
SULFUR FLUORIDES