Population inversions in laser-initiated vacuum arcs. Final report, 1 February 1981-31 January 1986

Technical Report · Tue Jun 17 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:7251917

Krishnan,; Haller, G L

Population inversions were studied in laser-initiated vacuum arcs. Inversion mechanisms include three-body recombination pumping in expanding, laser-produced plasmas, and resonant photoexcitation using line radiation. Significant gain was measured on the Balmer lines H/sub alpha/ and H/sub beta/ in expanding, laser-produced plasmas of carbon/polyethylene. Research then focused on resonant photoexcitation of one ion by line radiation from another ion. Fluorescence was measured at uv wavelengths in C II pumped by Al III. A new class of photoexcited lasers was identified, in Be-like ions, with wavelengths from 2177A in C III pumped by Mn VI, to 200 A in Mg IX pumped by Al XI. Fluorescence and small signal gain were measured in C III pumped by Mn VI. Finally, laser oscillation was demonstrated in C III at 2177 and 2163A. These are the first uv lasers to be pumped by resonant photoexcitation. By isoelectronic scaling, it should be possible to produce soft x-ray lasers using the principles elucidated by this research. Photopumped lasers could prove to be the most-efficient soft-x-ray lasers in the future.

• Research Organization: Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7251917
• Report Number(s): AD-A-170811/4/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420300 -- Engineering-- Lasers-- (-1989)
640420* -- Fluid Physics-- Properties & Structure of Fluids-- (-1987)
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
CHARGED PARTICLES
CURRENTS
ELECTRIC ARCS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
FLUORESCENCE
IONS
LASER-PRODUCED PLASMA
LASERS
LUMINESCENCE
OPTICAL PUMPING
PLASMA
POPULATION INVERSION
PUMPING
RADIATIONS
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
X-RAY LASERS