Abstract: An apparatus and method for transferring thermal energy from a heat load is disclosed. In particular, use of a phase change material and specific flow designs enables cooling with temperature regulation well above the fusion temperature of the phase change material for medium and high heat loads from devices operated intermittently (in burst mode). Exemplary heat loads include burst mode lasers and laser diodes, flight avionics, and high power space instruments. Thermal energy is transferred from the heat load to liquid phase change material from a phase change material reservoir. The liquid phase change material is split into two flows. Thermal energy is transferred from the first flow via a phase change material heat sink. The second flow bypasses the phase change material heat sink and joins with liquid phase change material exiting from the phase change material heat sink. The combined liquid phase change material is returned to the liquid phase change material reservoir.

Abstract: The heat capacity laser concept is extended to systems in which the heat capacity lasing media is a liquid. The laser active liquid is circulated from a reservoir (where the bulk of the media and hence waste heat resides) through a channel so configured for both optical pumping of the media for gain and for light amplification from the resulting gain.

Abstract: A laser having a lasing chamber and a semiconductor pumping device with trivalent titanium ions dissolved in a liquid host within the lasing chamber. Since the host is a liquid, it can be removed from the optical cavity when it becomes heated avoiding the inevitable optical distortion and birefringence common to glass and crystal hosts.

Abstract: A high average power, low optical distortion laser gain media is based on a flowing liquid media. A diode laser pumping device with tailored irradiance excites the laser active atom, ion or molecule within the liquid media. A laser active component of the liquid media exhibits energy storage times longer than or comparable to the thermal optical response time of the liquid. A circulation system that provides a closed loop for mixing and circulating the lasing liquid into and out of the optical cavity includes a pump, a diffuser, and a heat exchanger. A liquid flow gain cell includes flow straighteners and flow channel compression.

Abstract: A system for processing a workpiece using a laser. The laser produces at least one laser pulse. A laser processing unit is used to process the workpiece using the at least one laser pulse. A fiber optic cable is used for transmitting the at least one laser pulse from the laser to the laser processing unit.

Abstract: A high average power, low optical distortion laser gain media is based on a flowing liquid media. A diode laser pumping device with tailored irradiance excites the laser active atom, ion or molecule within the liquid media. A laser active component of the liquid media exhibits energy storage times longer than or comparable to the thermal optical response time of the liquid. A circulation system that provides a closed loop for mixing and circulating the lasing liquid into and out of the optical cavity includes a pump, a diffuser, and a heat exchanger. A liquid flow gain cell includes flow straighteners and flow channel compression.

Abstract: A laser includes an optical cavity. A diode laser pumping device is located within the optical cavity. An aprotic lasing liquid containing neodymium rare earth ions fills the optical cavity. A circulation system that provides a closed loop for circulating the aprotic lasing liquid into and out of the optical cavity includes a pump and a heat exchanger.

Abstract: A system for processing a workpiece using a laser. The laser produces at least one laser pulse. A laser processing unit is used to process the workpiece using the at least one laser pulse. A fiber optic cable is used for transmitting the at least one laser pulse from the laser to the laser processing unit.

Abstract: A system for wavefront correction in an ultra high power laser. As the laser medium flows past the optical excitation source and the fluid warms its index of refraction changes creating an optical wedge. A system is provided for correcting the thermally induced optical phase errors.

Abstract: Thermally induced distortion of the optical wavefront caused by heating of the laser media by waste heat from the excitation process and absorption of laser radiation creates optical phase errors. A system generates an error signal derived from the optical phase errors. The error signal is fed back to the power supplies driving semiconductor diodes that excite the lasing liquid thereby introducing an electrically controllable wedge into the optical cavity to correct the optical phase errors.

Abstract: A metal vapor laser, specifically one utilizing copper vapor, is disclosed herein. This laser utilizes a plasma tube assembly including a thermally insulated plasma tube containing a specific metal, e.g., copper, and a buffer gas therein. The laser also utilizes means including hot electrodes located at opposite ends of the plasma tube for electrically exciting the metal vapor and heating its interior to a sufficiently high temperature to cause the metal contained therein to vaporize and for subjecting the vapor to an electrical discharge excitation in order to lase. The laser also utilizes external wicking arrangements, that is, wicking arrangements located outside the plasma tube.

Abstract: The improved longitudinal discharge laser electrode with IR baffle includes an electrode made up of washers spaced along the laser axis in order to form inter-washer spaces for hollow cathode discharge to take place and for IR radiation to be trapped. Additional IR baffles can be placed between the electrode ann the window.

Abstract: The IR baffles placed between the window and the electrode of a longitudinal discharge laser improve laser performance by intercepting off-axis IR radiation from the laser and in doing so reduce window heating and subsequent optical distortion of the laser beam.

Abstract: A modularized system for controlling the gas pressure within a copper vapor or like laser is described herein. This system includes a gas input assembly which serves to direct gas into the laser in a controlled manner in response to the pressure therein for maintaining the laser pressure at a particular value, for example 40 torr. The system also includes a gas output assembly including a vacuum pump and a capillary tube arrangement which operates within both a viscous flow region and a molecular flow region for drawing gas out of the laser in a controlled manner.

Abstract: A transverse-type laser assembly is disclosed herein. This assembly defines a laser cavity containing a vapor or gaseous substance which lases when subjected to specific electrical discharge excitation between a pair of spaced-apart electrodes located within the cavity in order to produce a source of light. An arrangement located entirely outside the laser cavity is provided for inducing a voltage across the electrodes within the cavity sufficient to provide the necessary electrical discharge excitation to cause a vapor substance between the electrodes to lase.

Abstract: A modularized packaging arrangement for one or more copper vapor lasers and associated equipment is disclosed herein. This arrangement includes a single housing which contains the laser or lasers and all their associated equipment except power, water and neon, and means for bringing power, water, and neon which are necessary to the operation of the lasers into the container for use by the laser or lasers and their associated equipment.

Abstract: An injection locked oscillator system for pulsed metal vapor lasers is disclosed. The invention includes the combination of a seeding oscillator with an injection locked oscillator (ILO) for improving the quality, particularly the intensity, of an output laser beam pulse. The present invention includes means for matching the first seeder laser pulses from the seeding oscillator to second laser pulses of a metal vapor laser to improve the quality, and particularly the intensity, of the output laser beam pulse.

Abstract: A donor gas, such as helium or argon, is pumped into a receiving end of a chamber formed with widely-diverging walls providing an expanded area at its delivery end. Electrodes mounted in the receiving end produce a potential capable of exciting the admitted gas into He.sub.2.sup.+ or argon metastables. An arc discharge is produced for the helium and a glow discharge for the argon. The excited donor then flows through the chamber to a diffusion mixer formed by an array of nozzles covering its expanded delivery end area where it continually mixes with an acceptor gas, such as N.sub.2, supplied through the nozzles. Mixing results in an electronic excitation energy transfer reaction in which the charge from the excited donor is transferred to the acceptor. An optical resonant cavity communicating with the nozzle array receives the excited acceptor and population inversion in the cavity generates a laser beam. With nitrogen, the emission is a continuous wave in the UV-visible region.

Abstract: An e-beam pumped laser employs a hollow cylindrical anode and cathode structure, the cathode being externally concentric with the anode. The lasing gas is contained within a chamber formed by the anode, an optical oscillator cavity being formed between mirrors placed at opposite ends of the anode chamber. The laser gas is excited by means of an e-beam directed radially inwardly from the cathode through the walls of the anode, which are formed of a thin foil, into the laser gas cavity.

Abstract: A new class of high-power lasers capable of high efficiencies in the visible and shorter wave lengths is taught, employing an excitation energy transfer mechanism from a pumped noble donor gas, such as Argon, to an acceptor lasing gas, preferably Nitrogen. In particular, such an Argon/Nitrogen laser exhibits a very useful, unique output wave length at 3577A, this being derived from a mixture of Argon, predominantly, with a minor percentage of Nitrogen, excited by a relativistic electron beam of relatively high current density. Such gas lasers with a noble gas as donor offer great promise, using high electrical conversion. efficiency of the noble donor gas with a non-radiative energy transfer to the lasing gas.