Gaseous laser medium and means for excitation

Claim 2

In a gas laser system, apparatus comprising means defining a laser chamber containing a mixture of noble gas and a molecular gaseous laser medium, said laser medium being relatively efficiently photodissociable by vacuum ultraviolet radiation to produce particles having an upper laser state from which they undergo transition to a lower laser state by laser action emitting pulses of coherent radiation of wave length longer than vacuum ultraviolet, said noble gas, when excited to a predetermined energy level, radiating vacuum ultraviolet radiation of frequency effectively photodissociating said medium to produce said particles in said excited state, and said laser medium being at a partial pressure a small fraction of the partial pressure of said noble gas, and electrical means coupled to said noble gas for producing electronic pulses in said mixture for exciting said noble gas to said predetermined energy level.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said particles are resonantly excited directly into said upper laser state upon such photodissociation.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said small fraction is between 0.01% and 1%.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the partial pressure of said laser medium is between about 0.5 and 10 torr and the partial pressure of said noble gas is between about 0.5 and 10 atmospheres.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said electrical means comprises an electron beam generator for introducing a pulse of electrons into said gas mixture, and high voltage means for producing an electrical discharge through said gas mixture subsequent to the introduction of said pulse of electrons.

Claim 7

In a gas laser system, apparatus comprising means defining a laser chamber containing a molecular gaseous laser medium, said laser medium being relatively efficiently photodissociable by vacuum ultraviolet radiation to produce molecules having an upper laser state from which they undergo transition to a lower laser state by laser action emitting pulses of coherent radiation of wave length longer than vacuum ultraviolet, said molecules in said lower laser state going promptly and spontaneously to an unbound state after said transition caused by said photodissociation, and means for effectively photodissociating said medium and producing said molecules in said excited upper laser state, said means including noble gas radiatively coupled to said laser medium and, when excited to a predetermined energy level, radiating such vacuum ultraviolet radiation, and electrical means coupled to said noble gas for producing electronic pulses in said mixture for exciting said noble gas to said predetermined energy level.

Claim 8

In a gas laser system, apparatus comprising means defining a laser chamber containing a molecular gaseous laser medium, said laser medium being relatively efficiently photodissociable by vacuum ultraviolet radiation to produce molecules having an upper laser state from which they undergo transition to a lower laser state by laser action emitting pulses of coherent radiation of wave length longer than vacuum ultraviolet, said molecules in said lower laser state going promptly and spontaneously to an unbound state after said transition caused by said photodissociation, and means for effectively photodissociating said medium and producing said molecules in said excited upper laser state, said means including noble gas radiatively coupled to said laser medium and, when excited to a predetermined energy level, radiating such vacuum ultraviolet radiation, and electrical means coupled to said noble gas for producing electronic pulses in said mixture for exciting said noble gas to said predetermined energy level.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the unbinding of said lower laser state is effected by collisionally induced predissociation.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said molecules are halogen molecules.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said halogen is bromine.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said upper and lower laser states are the E and B states, respectively.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said noble gas is argon.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said noble gas is mixed with said gaseous laser medium with the partial pressure of said laser medium a small fraction of the partial pressure of said noble gas.

Claim 15

Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein said small fraction is between 0.01 and 1%.

Claim 16

Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the partial pressure of said laser medium is between about 0.5 and 10 torr and the partial pressure of said noble gas is between about 0.5 and 10 atmospheres.

Claim 17

Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said electrical means comprises an electron beam generator for introducing a pulse of electrons into said gas mixture, and high voltage means for producing an electrical discharge through said gas mixture subsequent to the introduction of said pulse of electrons.

Claim 18

In a gas laser system, apparatus comprising means defining a laser chamber containing a mixture of noble gas and a molecular gaseous laser medium, said noble gas radiating in the vacuum ultraviolet when excited to a predetermined energy level, and said laser medium being relatively efficiently photodissociable by said vacuum ultraviolet radiation to produce particles substantially resonantly excited directly into an upper laser state from which they undergo transition to a lower laser state by laser action emitting pulses of coherent radiation of wavelength longer than vacuum ultraviolet, and electrical means coupled to said noble gas for producing electronic pulses for exciting said noble gas to said predetermined energy level.

Claim 19

In a gas laser system, apparatus comprising means defining a laser chamber containing a mixture of noble gas and a molecular gaseous laser medium, said noble gas radiating in the vacuum ultraviolet when excited to a predetermined energy level, and said laser medium being relatively efficiently photodissociable by said vacuum ultraviolet radiation to produce particles substantially resonantly excited directly into an upper laser state from which they undergo transition to a lower laser state by laser action emitting pulses of coherent radiation of wavelength longer than vacuum ultraviolet, and electrical means coupled to said noble gas for producing electronic pulses for exciting said noble gas to said predetermined energy level.

Claim 20

Apparatus according to claim 16 wherein said noble gas is argon.

Claim 21

Apparatus according to claim 17 wherein said particles are CN.

Claim 22

Apparatus according to claim 18 wherein sad gaseous laser medium is CNBr.

Claim 23

Apparatus according to claim 16 wherein said noble gas is mixed with said gaseous laser medium with the partial pressure of said laser medium a small fraction of the partial pressure of said noble gas.

Claim 24

Apparatus according to claim 20 wherein said small fraction is between 0.01 and 1%.

Claim 25

Apparatus according to claim 20 wherein the partial pressure of said laser medium is between about 0.5 and 10 torr and the partial pressure of said noble gas is between about 0.5 and 10 atmospheres.

Claim 26

Apparatus according to claim 16 wherein said electrical means comprises an electron beam generator for introducing a pulse of electrons into said gas mixture, and high voltage means for producing an electrical discharge through said gas mixture subsequent to the introduction of said pulse of electrons.

Claim 27

A gas laser comprising means defining a laser chamber containing a molecular laser medium including the radical CN, means for dissociating said laser medium and producing a population inversion of particles of CN excited to the B state relative to the X state, means for causing the excited CN particles to undergo transition to the X state by laser action with optical gain to produce pulses of coherent radiation of wavelength about 4000A.

Claim 28

A gas laser comprising means defining a laser chamber containing a molecular laser medium including the radical CN, means for dissociating said laser medium and producing a population inversion of particles of CN excited to the B state relative to the X state, means for causing the excited CN particles to undergo transition to the X state by laser action with optical gain to produce pulses of coherent radiation of wavelength about 4000A.

Claim 29

In a gas laser system, apparatus comprising means defining a laser chamber containing a halogen-comprising molecular gaseous laser medium, said laser medium being excitable to produce halogen molecules having an ionic upper laser state from which they undergo transition to a covalent lower laser state by laser action emitting pulses of coherent radition of wavelength longer than vacuum ultraviolet, said halogen molecules in said covalent lower laser state going promptly and spontaneously to an unbound state after said transition, and means for producing a population inversion of said halogen molecules in said ionic upper laser state.

Claim 30

In a gas laser system, apparatus comprising means defining a laser chamber containing a halogen-comprising molecular gaseous laser medium, said laser medium being excitable to produce halogen molecules having an ionic upper laser state from which they undergo transition to a covalent lower laser state by laser action emitting pulses of coherent radition of wavelength longer than vacuum ultraviolet, said halogen molecules in said covalent lower laser state going promptly and spontaneously to an unbound state after said transition, and means for producing a population inversion of said halogen molecules in said ionic upper laser state.

Claim 31

Apparatus according to claim 25 wherein the unbinding of said lower laser state is effected by collisionally induced predissociation.

Claim 32

Apparatus according to claim 25 wherein said halogen is bromine.

Claim 33

Apparatus according to claim 27 wherein said upper and lower laser states are the E and B states, respectively.

Claim 34

In a gas laser system, apparatus comprising means defining a laser chamber containing a halogen-comprising molecular gaseous laser medium, said laser medium being dissociable to produce halogen molecules having an ionic upper laser state from which they undergo transition to a covalent lower laser state by laser action emitting pulses of coherent radiation of wavelength longer than vacuum ultraviolet, said halogen molecules in said covalent lower laser state going promptly and spontaneously to an unbound state after said transition, and means for photodissociating said medium to produce said halogen molecules and for exciting them to produce a population inversion of said halogen molecules in said ionic upper laser state.

Claim 35

In a gas laser system, apparatus comprising means defining a laser chamber containing a halogen-comprising molecular gaseous laser medium, said laser medium being dissociable to produce halogen molecules having an ionic upper laser state from which they undergo transition to a covalent lower laser state by laser action emitting pulses of coherent radiation of wavelength longer than vacuum ultraviolet, said halogen molecules in said covalent lower laser state going promptly and spontaneously to an unbound state after said transition, and means for photodissociating said medium to produce said halogen molecules and for exciting them to produce a population inversion of said halogen molecules in said ionic upper laser state.

Claim 36

Apparatus according to claim 29 wherein the unbinding of said lower laser state is effected by collisionally induced predissociation.

Claim 37

Apparatus according to claim 29 wherein said halogen is bromine.

Claim 38

Apparatus according to claim 31 wherein said upper and lower laser states are the E and B states, respectively,

Claim 39

A gas laser according to claim 24 wherein said means for dissociating comprises means for photodissociating said laser medium.