Optical radiation frequency converter and method

Claim 2

An optical radiation converter for receiving incident radiation of one frequency and providing output radiation of a harmonic frequency comprising a vapor cell including spaced windows which are transparent to said incident and output radiation positioned to receive said incident radiation of one frequency at one window and radiate at said another frequency from the other window, a metal vapor providing metal atoms having fundamental dominant atomic resonance frequency or group of strong atomic resonance frequencies in the spectral region between said one frequency and said harmonic frequency disposed in said cell, means for maintaining a predetermined concentration of said metal vapor in said cell between said windows and a source of monochromatic energy to be converted, positioned to project radiation through said first window into said cell toward said second window to interact with the metal atoms between said windows and radiate at said harmonic frequency through said second window.

Claim 3

A radiation converter as in claim 1 wherein said metal vapor is the vapor of an alkali metal.

Claim 4

A radiation converter for receiving incident radiation of one frequency and radiating at a higher frequency comprising a vapor cell including spaced windows which are transparent to said incident and output radiation positioned to receive said incident radiation of one freuqency at one window and radiate at said higher frequency from the other window, a metal vapor providing metal atoms having fundamental dominant atomic resonance frequency or group of strong atomic resonance frequencies in the spectral region between said one frequency and said higher frequency disposed in said cell, means for maintaining a predetermined concentration of said metal vapor in said cell, a normally dispersive gas or vapor in said cell to form a predetermined mixture with the metal vapor, and a source of monochromatic energy of said one frequency to be converted to said higher frequency positioned to project radiation through said first window into said cell toward said second window with sufficient power to generate a strong dipole polarization in said metal atoms whereby they radiate from said second window at said higher frequency.

Claim 5

A radiation converter for receiving incident radiation of one frequency and radiating at a higher frequency comprising a vapor cell including spaced windows which are transparent to said incident and output radiation positioned to receive said incident radiation of one freuqency at one window and radiate at said higher frequency from the other window, a metal vapor providing metal atoms having fundamental dominant atomic resonance frequency or group of strong atomic resonance frequencies in the spectral region between said one frequency and said higher frequency disposed in said cell, means for maintaining a predetermined concentration of said metal vapor in said cell, a normally dispersive gas or vapor in said cell to form a predetermined mixture with the metal vapor, and a source of monochromatic energy of said one frequency to be converted to said higher frequency positioned to project radiation through said first window into said cell toward said second window with sufficient power to generate a strong dipole polarization in said metal atoms whereby they radiate from said second window at said higher frequency.

Claim 6

A radiation converter as in claim 3 wherein said metal vapor is the vapor of an alkali metal.

Claim 7

A radiation converter for receiving radiation of one frequency and radiating at a higher frequency comprising a vapor cell including spaced windows which are transparent to said incident and output radiation positioned to receive said incident radiation of one frequency at one window and generate output radiation at said higher frequency from the other window, a metal vapor providing metal atoms having fundamental dominant atomic resonance frequency or group of strong atomic resonance frequencies in the spectral region between said one frequency and said higher frequency disposed in said cell, a normally dispersive gas or vapor disposed in said cell to form a mixture with said metal vapor, the ratio of the refractive index of the metal vapor and the refractive index of the dispersive gas or vapor and the ratio of metal vapor atoms to normally dispersive gas or vapor atoms being selected such that the velocity of radiation through the mixture at the one frequency equals that at the higher frequency whereby the radiation at one frequency interacts with the atoms to generate a strong dipole polarization to generate radiation at said higher frequency.

Claim 8

A radiation converter for receiving radiation of one frequency and radiating at a higher frequency comprising a vapor cell including spaced windows which are transparent to said incident and output radiation positioned to receive said incident radiation of one frequency at one window and generate output radiation at said higher frequency from the other window, a metal vapor providing metal atoms having fundamental dominant atomic resonance frequency or group of strong atomic resonance frequencies in the spectral region between said one frequency and said higher frequency disposed in said cell, a normally dispersive gas or vapor disposed in said cell to form a mixture with said metal vapor, the ratio of the refractive index of the metal vapor and the refractive index of the dispersive gas or vapor and the ratio of metal vapor atoms to normally dispersive gas or vapor atoms being selected such that the velocity of radiation through the mixture at the one frequency equals that at the higher frequency whereby the radiation at one frequency interacts with the atoms to generate a strong dipole polarization to generate radiation at said higher frequency.

Claim 11

The method as in claim 6 where the metal vapor is selected from the alkali metals.

Claim 12

The method as in claim 7 wherein the gas or vapor is an inert gas.

Claim 13

The method as in claim 7 where the inert gas is xenon.

Claim 14

A non-linear radiation converter for receiving radiation of one frequency and generating output radiation at the third harmonic of said frequency comprising a vapor cell positioned to receive said radiation of one frequency and generate output radiation at said third harmonic frequency, a metal vapor providing metal atoms having fundamental dominant atomic resonance frequency or group of strong atomic resonance frequencies in the spectral region between said one frequency and said third harmonic frequency disposed in said cell, means for maintaining a predetermined concentration of said metal vapor in said cell and a source of monochromatic energy of said one frequency to be converted to the third harmonic frequency positioned to project radiation into said cell with sufficient power to generate a strong dipole polarization in said metal atoms whereby they radiate at said third harmonic frequency.

Claim 15

A non-linear radiation converter for receiving radiation of one frequency and generating output radiation at the third harmonic of said frequency comprising a vapor cell positioned to receive said radiation of one frequency and generate output radiation at said third harmonic frequency, a metal vapor providing metal atoms having fundamental dominant atomic resonance frequency or group of strong atomic resonance frequencies in the spectral region between said one frequency and said third harmonic frequency disposed in said cell, means for maintaining a predetermined concentration of said metal vapor in said cell and a source of monochromatic energy of said one frequency to be converted to the third harmonic frequency positioned to project radiation into said cell with sufficient power to generate a strong dipole polarization in said metal atoms whereby they radiate at said third harmonic frequency.

Claim 16

A radiation converter for receiving radiation of one frequency and generating output radiation at the third harmonic of said frequeNcy comprising a vapor cell positioned to receive said radiation of one frequency and generate output radiation at said third harmonic frequency, a metal vapor providing metal atoms having a fundamental dominant atomic resonance frequency or group of strong atomic resonance frequencies in the spectral region between said one frequency and said third harmonic frequency disposed in said cell, means for maintaining a predetermined concentration of metal vapor in said cell, a normally dispersive gas or vapor in said cell to form a mixture with the metal vapor, and a source of monochromatic energy to be converted to the third harmonic frequency positioned to project radiation into said cell with sufficient power to generate dipole polarization in said metal atoms whereby the atoms radiate at said third harmonic frequency.

Claim 17

A radiation converter for receiving radiation of one frequency and generating output radiation at the third harmonic of said frequeNcy comprising a vapor cell positioned to receive said radiation of one frequency and generate output radiation at said third harmonic frequency, a metal vapor providing metal atoms having a fundamental dominant atomic resonance frequency or group of strong atomic resonance frequencies in the spectral region between said one frequency and said third harmonic frequency disposed in said cell, means for maintaining a predetermined concentration of metal vapor in said cell, a normally dispersive gas or vapor in said cell to form a mixture with the metal vapor, and a source of monochromatic energy to be converted to the third harmonic frequency positioned to project radiation into said cell with sufficient power to generate dipole polarization in said metal atoms whereby the atoms radiate at said third harmonic frequency.

Claim 18

An optical radiation converter as in claim 11 wherein said means for maintaining a predetermined concentration of metal vapor in said cell comprises means for maintaining said cell at an elevated temperature.

Claim 19

An optical radiation converter for converting optical radiation at one frequency to radiation at the third harmonic of said frequency comprising a vapor cell positioned to receive said radiation of one frequency and generate output radiation at said third harmonic frequency, a metal vapor providing metal atoms having fundamental dominant atomic resonance frequency or group of strong atomic resonance frequencies in the spectral region between said one frequency and said third harmonic frequency disposed in said cell, a normally dispersive gas or vapor disposed in said cell to form a mixture with said metal vapor, the ratio of the refractive index of the metal vapor and the refractive index of the dispersive gas or vapor and the ratio of metal vapor atoms to normally dispersive gas or vapor atoms being selected such that the velocity of radiation through the mixture at the fundamental frequency equals that at the third harmonic frequency whereby the radiation at said one frequency interacts with the atoms to generate radiation at said third harmonic frequency.

Claim 20

An optical radiation converter for converting optical radiation at one frequency to radiation at the third harmonic of said frequency comprising a vapor cell positioned to receive said radiation of one frequency and generate output radiation at said third harmonic frequency, a metal vapor providing metal atoms having fundamental dominant atomic resonance frequency or group of strong atomic resonance frequencies in the spectral region between said one frequency and said third harmonic frequency disposed in said cell, a normally dispersive gas or vapor disposed in said cell to form a mixture with said metal vapor, the ratio of the refractive index of the metal vapor and the refractive index of the dispersive gas or vapor and the ratio of metal vapor atoms to normally dispersive gas or vapor atoms being selected such that the velocity of radiation through the mixture at the fundamental frequency equals that at the third harmonic frequency whereby the radiation at said one frequency interacts with the atoms to generate radiation at said third harmonic frequency.

Claim 23

The method as in claim 14 where the metal vapor is selected from the alkali metals.

Claim 24

The method as in claim 15 wherein the gas or vapor is an inert gas.

Claim 25

An optical converter comprising a vapor cell, a metal vapor in said cell, means for maintaining a predetermined concentration of metal vapor in said cell and means for projecting monochromatic radiation at one or more frequencies omega 1, omega 2 and omega 3 into said cell to obtain an output frequency + or - omega 1 + or - omega 2 + or - omega 3.

Claim 26

An optical converter comprising a vapor cell, a metal vapor in said cell, means for maintaining a predetermined concentration of metal vapor in said cell and means for projecting monochromatic radiation at one or more frequencies omega 1, omega 2 and omega 3 into said cell to obtain an output frequency + or - omega 1 + or - omega 2 + or - omega 3.