Optically pumped maser and solid state light source for use therein

Claim 1

A SOLID STATE LIGHT SOURCE APPARATUS FOR EXCITING AN ACTIVE MATERIAL HAVING EXCITED ENERGY LEVELS OF ELECTRONS AND SUITABLE FOR USE IN MASERS AND LIGHT AMPLIFIERS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A FIRST ELEMENT OF SOLID ACTIVE MATERIAL HAVING A PLURALITY OF GROUND STATE SUBLEVELS OF ELECTRON ENERGY SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER BY DISCRETE AMOUNTS, SAID FIRST ELEMENT UNDERGOING OPTICAL ABSORPTION WHEN IRRADIATED WITH LIGHT IN A PREDETERMINED FIRST WAVELENGTH BAND IN THE LIGHT ENERGY SPECTRUM, OPTICAL ABSORPTION IN THE FIRST ELEMENT RESULTING THE MOVEMENT OF AT LEAST SOME OFF THE ELECTRONS FROM GROUND STATE SUBLEVELS TO EXCITED ENERGY LEVELS AND THE CREATION OF AN EXCITED STATED IN SAID FIRST ELEMENT, A LOWER GROUND STATE SUBLEVEL BEING DEPOPULATED BY THE MOVEMENT OF ELECTRONS TO EXCITED ENERGY LEVELS AT A GREATER RATE THAN AN UPPER GROUND STATE SUBLEVEL, ELECTRONS THEREAFTER MOVING FROM THE EXCITED ENERGY LEVELS TO THE PLURALITY OF GROUND STATE SUBLEVELS, SOME OF THE ELECTRONS IN AN UPPER GROUND STATE SUBLEVEL THEREAFTER STATE SUBLEVEL AND BEING ADAPTED WHILE SO LOWER GROUND STATE SUBLEVEL AND BEING ADAPTED WHILE SO MOVING TO GIVE UP ENERGY TO AN ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE OF PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY IMPINGING ON THE FIRST ELEMENT, A SOURCE OF BROAD SPECTRUM LIGHT, AND A LIGHT CONCENTRATOR INCLUDING A SECOND ELEMENT OF THE SAME SOLID ACTIVE MATERIAL INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE SOURCE OF LIGHT AND SAID FIRST ELEMENT AND HAVING BROAD SPECTRUM LIGHT IMPINGING THEREON, SAID SECOND ELEMENT HAVING OPTICAL ABSORPTION OF LIGHT OVER A SECOND WAVELENGTH BAND BROAD RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST WAVELENGTH BAND AND LYING OUTSIDE OF THE FIRST WAVELENGTH BAND, THE OPTICAL ABSORPTION IN SAID SECOND ELEMENT RESULTING IN ELECTRONS MOVING TO EXCITED ENERGY LEVELS, SAID ELECTRONS OF SAID SECOND ELEMENT THEREAFTER FALLING BACK BY RADIATIONLESS DECAY TO A METASTABLE LUMINESCENT STATE IN SAID SECOND ELEMENT, SAID ELECTRONS THEREAFTER RETURNING FROM THE LUMINESCENT STATE TO THE GROUND STATE AND EMITTING OPTICAL ENERGY IN SAID FIRST WAVELENGTH BAND, SAID LAST-NAMED OPTICAL ENERGY PASSING TO SAID FIRST ELEMENT AND CAUSING AN EXCITED STATE IN THE FIRST ELEMENT OF ACTIVE MATERIAL.