Pulsed hydrogen fluoride laser oscillator-amplifier experiments
Pulsed HF chemical laser oscillator energies were scaled from millijoules to several kilojoules over the period 1970-1974, reaching approximately 10 J with SF$sub 6$ and transverse discharges, and using electron- beam initiation and elemental F$sub 2$ above 1000J. This demonstrated scalability to large energy with acceptable electrical efficiency is only one prerequisite for application of this gas laser in fusion; equally important matters are achievement of focusable, approximately 1 ns pulses, couplable to light-element targets, all from an affordable system. Exploratory MOPA experiments are reported which address control of HF laser beam focusability and pulse duration, using SF$sub 6$-based experimental oscillator--amplifier sequences and Pockels' cell switching. Simultaneous multiline lasing with 2.6 less than or equal to lambda less than or equal to 3.1 $mu$m and high specific gain and energy density are particularly important factors encountered with HF, where amplifier pumping and lasing occur in a substantially cw temporal relationship, even in less than 100 ns bursts. Time-resolved SF$sub 6$--HI oscillator spectra contain 27 simultaneous lines from six vibrational bands. An apertured, SF$sub 6$-hydrocarbon pin-discharge oscillator generates approximately 10 mJ of TEM$sub 00$ radiation, which is amplified to approximately 1 J in approximately 150 ns by a TEA amplifier and propagated tens of meters. A three- stage system coupling these elements through an approximately 1 ns electrooptic gate to a greater than 10 J, e-beam energized amplifier is under development. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos Scientific Lab., N.Mex. (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- NSA Number:
- NSA-33-000423
- OSTI ID:
- 4175613
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-75-1422; CONF-750666-1
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Seminar on Optical Methods in Energy Conversion, Rochester, New York, USA, 23 Jun 1975; Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 30-JUN-76
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Multi stage q-switched iodine laser. Master's thesis
Generation and amplification of nanaosecond duration multiline hf laser pulses