Continuously pulsed copper halide laser with a cable-capacitor Blumlein discharge circuit

Journal Article · Fri Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1978 · IEEE J. Quant. Electron.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/JQE.1978.1069871· OSTI ID:6457867

Nerheim, N M; Bhanji, A M; Russell, G R

Experimental characteristics of a continuously pulsed copper halide laser with a cable-capacitor Blumlein discharge circuit are reported. Quartz laser tubes 1 m in length and 1.5 and 2.5 cm in dia were employed to study the effects of the electrical circuit, lasant, and buffer gas on laser performance. Measured properties of the Blumlein circuit are compared with an analytic solution for an idealized circuit. Both CuCl and CuBr with neon and helium buffer gas were studied. A maximum average power of 12.5 W was obtained with a 1.5 nF capacitor charged to 8 kV and discharged at 31 kHz with CuCl and neon buffer gas at 0.7 kPa in a 2.5-cm-dia tube. A maximum efficiency of 0.72% was obtained at 9 W average power. Measurements of the radial distribution of the power in the laser beam and the variation of laser power at 510.6 and 578.2 nm with halide vapor density are also reported. Double and continuously pulsed laser characteristics are compared, and the role of copper metastable level atoms in limiting the laser pulse energy density is discussed.

• Research Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
• OSTI ID: 6457867
• Journal Information: IEEE J. Quant. Electron.; (United States), Journal Name: IEEE J. Quant. Electron.; (United States) Vol. QE-14:9; ISSN IEJQA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420300* -- Engineering-- Lasers-- (-1989)
BROMIDES
BROMINE COMPOUNDS
BUFFERS
CAPACITORS
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
COPPER BROMIDES
COPPER CHLORIDES
COPPER COMPOUNDS
COPPER HALIDES
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
EQUIPMENT
GAS LASERS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
LASERS
PERFORMANCE
PULSES
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS