The effects of He addition on the performance of the fission-fragment excited Ar/Xe atomic xenon laser
- Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (US)
- University of Illinois, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Optical and Discharge Physics, 1406 W. Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (USA)
The intrinsic power efficiency of the atomic xenon laser depends upon the electron density because of the mixing of the laser levels by electron collisions while the electron density in high-pressure particle-beam excited plasmas increases with increasing gas temperature. Therefore, in order to reduce the amount of electron collisional mixing when operating at high-energy loadings ({gt}100's J/1-atm) mixtures having a high-heat capacity are required. In particle-beam excited Ar/Xe mixtures, which typically yield the highest intrinsic laser efficiencies, increasing the gas pressure to increase the heat capacity is not always practical due to the high-stopping power of the gas mixture. For this reason we have experimentally and theoretically investigated adding He to Ar/Xe mixtures in studies of a fission-fragment excited atomic xenon laser. Adding He increases the heat capacity without appreciably perturbing the favorable kinetics resulting in efficient operation of the laser in Ar/Xe mixtures. We find that when adding He to Ar/Xe mixtures the dominant laser transition switches from 1.73 to 2.03 {mu}m without significantly decreasing the efficiency. The laser pulse length also increases, an effect attributed to a lowering of both the electron temperature and gas temperatures.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 5633887
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics; (USA), Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics; (USA) Vol. 69:4; ISSN 0021-8979; ISSN JAPIA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Excitation mechanisms of the electron-beam-pumped atomic xenon (5 d r arrow 6 p ) laser in Ar/Xe mixtures
Measured laser parameters for reactor-pumped He/Ar/Xe and Ar/Xe lasers
Related Subjects
426002* -- Engineering-- Lasers & Masers-- (1990-)
ARGON
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
ELEMENTS
FISSION FRAGMENTS
FLUIDS
GAS LASERS
GASES
HELIUM
KINETICS
LASERS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NONMETALS
NUCLEAR FRAGMENTS
NUCLEAR PUMPING
OPERATION
PERFORMANCE
PUMPING
RARE GASES
REACTION KINETICS
SANDIA LABORATORIES
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
XENON