Light-driven phase shifter

Patent · 01 January 1990

OSTI ID:867530

Early, James W ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos, NM

A light-driven phase shifter is provided for modulating a transmission light beam. A gaseous medium such as argon is provided with electron energy states excited to populate a metastable state. A tunable dye laser is selected with a wavelength effective to deplete the metastable electron state and may be intensity modulated. The dye laser is directed through the gaseous medium to define a first optical path having an index of refraction determined by the gaseous medium having a depleted metastable electron state. A transmission laser beam is also directed through the gaseous medium to define a second optical path at least partially coincident with the first optical path. The intensity of the dye laser beam may then be varied to phase modulate the transmission laser beam.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4958921
• OSTI ID: 867530
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/359/
argon
beam
coincident
define
deplete
depleted
determined
directed
dye
dye laser
effective
electron
electron energy
energy
excited
gaseous
gaseous medium
index
intensity
intensity modulated
laser
laser beam
light
light beam
light-driven
light-driven phase
medium
metastable
modulate
modulated
modulating
optical
optical path
partially
path
phase
phase modulate
phase shift
phase shifter
populate
provided
refraction
selected
shifter
transmission
transmission light
tunable
tunable dye
varied
wavelength
wavelength effective