The sapphire Cerenkov laser

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:7069497

Fisch, E E

The theory and experimental performance of the Cerenkov Free Electron Laser (CFEL) is treated. Emphasis is on low-voltage (less than 100 keV) operation. The CFEL is an electron beam drive, dielectric resonator based source of tunable radiation. The Cerenkov mechanism for spontaneous emission is introduced. Geometric optics and electromagnetic theory are invoked to determine the critical resonator properties of a device designed to produce stimulated emission. The gain is quantified by adapting the dimensionless FEL formalism for the first time to low energy CFEL's. Saturation and power are explored by extending the dimensionless equation of motion. The experimental results for sapphire planar resonators are presented. The experiments corroborate the theoretical predictions in all cases. Radiation was also obtained from lanthanum aluminate, quartz, boron nitride, and stycast and these results are discussed briefly. The lack of any radiation from silicon resonators is explained. The sapphire CFEL has produced up to 100 W of radiation in a approximately 1 microseconds pulse at wavelengths ranging from 3.7 to 1.4 mm (80 to 220 GHz). The sapphire Cerenkov laser could be adapted for far-infrared output (100 microns/1 mm) using the theory presented to determine the design parameters.

• Research Organization: Dartmouth Coll., Hanover, NH (United States)
• OSTI ID: 7069497
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
426002* -- Engineering-- Lasers & Masers-- (1990-)
ALUMINATES
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
BORON COMPOUNDS
BORON NITRIDES
CHERENKOV RADIATION
CORUNDUM
DESIGN
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTROMAGNETISM
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ELEMENTS
EMISSION
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EQUATIONS
EQUATIONS OF MOTION
EQUIPMENT
FREE ELECTRON LASERS
LANTHANUM
LASERS
MAGNETISM
METALS
MINERALS
NITRIDES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDE MINERALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PNICTIDES
QUARTZ
RADIATIONS
RARE EARTHS
RESONATORS
SAPPHIRE
SEMIMETALS
SILICON
STIMULATED EMISSION
TESTING