Abstract: A solid state laser in which molecules containing transition metal ions form the lasing medium. More particularly, the electronic states of molecular complexes containing transition metal ions, which are in closed shell configurations, are pumped by an ultraviolet source to emit coherent radiation.

Abstract: A metal vapor laser which can produce two or more discrete outputs from a single vacuum chamber. This is achieved by using two or more different materials and by confining each material to its own area so that the materials do not mix one with the other and optimum lasing performance can be obtained from each material. All the lasing areas have a common optical axis. The lasing outputs can be produced separately or mixed together as required.

Abstract: A miniature solid state near room temperature laser includes a laser crystal doped with a laser ion and an absorber ion. The absorber ion absorbs pumping radiation derived from the output of a laser diode and transfers the absorbed energy to the laser ion for inverting the population of the desired energy transition levels to produce an eyesafe output beam with wavelengths greater than 1.4 microns. In a preferred embodiment, the host crystal is YAG and it is co-doped with Ho as the laser ion and Er as the absorber ion. A small concentration of Tm ion may be doped into the crystal to enhance pumping efficiency. Improved efficiency can be obtained by cooling the laser crystal with a thermoelectric cooler and by tuning the output of the diode laser pump to an absorption peak of the absorbing ion.

Abstract: A plurality of slab-shaped laser media are surrounded by an internal reflection surface of a reflector member and kept substantially parallel to each other by a supporting member. Internal gaps are left between two adjacent ones of the media and additional gaps are left between two endmost ones of the media and the internal reflection surface. A plurality of lamp members are located within the internal and additional gaps so that each lamp member effectively excites two adjacent media in the internal gaps, and a single medium in cooperation with the internal reflection surface in each additional gap. Each medium produces a laser beam along a traveling direction as a result of excitation. Each lamp member may be a single or a plurality of elongated flash lamps parallel to or transverse to the traveling direction. Alternatively, each lamp member may be a flat excitation lamp having flat surfaces juxtaposed to each medium.

Abstract: Li.sub.4 Ge.sub.5 O.sub.12 activated by a closed shell ion such as Ti.sup.+4 or Sn.sup.+4 as the active medium for a solid state laser that emits in the blue-green region of the visible spectrum.

Abstract: A multiple pulse electric discharge gas laser system is described in which a plurality of pulsed electric discharge gas lasers are supported in a common housing. Each laser is supplied with excitation pulses from a separate power supply. A controller, which may be a microprocessor, is connected to each power supply for controlling the application of excitation pulses to each laser so that the lasers can be fired simultaneously or in any desired sequence. The output light beams from the individual lasers may be combined or utilized independently, depending upon the desired application. The individual lasers may include multiple pairs of discharge electrodes with a separate power supply connected across each electrode pair so that multiple light output beams can be generated from a single laser tube and combined or utilized separately.

Abstract: Stable color centers capable of laser emission in the near infrared region of the optical spectrum are provided in alkali halide host crystals containing monovalent heavy metal cation impurities such as thallium, gallium, indium, silver and copper. The laser active color centers are formed by exposing the crystal to ionizing radiation followed by irradiation with light having a wavelength absorbed by the F centers. The resulting material is capable of stable, broadly tunable laser operation with high power output in the near infrared region. Oscillation on a single mode can be easily obtained.

Abstract: A multiple wavelength operating laser (10) having a pump cavity or enclosure (14) surrounded by an optical pumping arrangement (17) comprises a plurality of substantially concentric tubes (21A, 21B) each having windows for emission of radiation and enclosing respective bodies of liquid lasing media. The lasing media may be flowed through the respective tubes and are preferentially arranged so that the fluorescence spectra of the lasing medium in one tube overlaps the absorption spectra of the lasing medium in the adjoining tube so that the one lasing medium optically pumps the other lasing medium in addition to optical pumping from the optical pumping arrangement (17).

Abstract: X-ray laser method and apparatus for producing coherent radiation at, for example, energies of at least 40 eV, using Be-like Cr, N-like Ni, He-like Na, B-like Cr, Be-like Mn or similar multiply ionized species to pump appropriate high energy transitions in He-like or H-like N, O, F, C or rare gases, with associated laser transition gains of 4-50 cm.sup.-1.

Abstract: A laser medium containing a chromium (3+) doped germanate garnet represented by the general formula: Ca.sub.3 M.sub.2(1-x) Cr.sub.2x (GeO.sub.4).sub.3 wherein M is Al.sup.3+, Ga.sup.3+, Sc.sup.3+, Lu.sup.3+, or Y.sup.3+ and 0<x.ltoreq.0.25 is disclosed. A laser employing the above-described laser medium is also described.

Abstract: In a solid-state laser device comprising a laser oscillation medium and a laser amplification medium, a reflector member has an internal wall surface defining a single prismal space in which both of the oscillation and the amplification media are placed. A flash lamp is intermediate between the oscillation and the amplification media in the prismal space to activate both media in common. The oscillation and the amplification media are of a rod type and a slab-type, respectively. Preferably, the prismal space is divisible into an elliptic cylinder space having in cross section two ellipse focal points and a parabolic cylinder space having in cross section a parabola focal point common to one of the ellipse focal points. The oscillation medium is placed on another one of the ellipse focal points while the flash lamp is placed on the parabolic cylinder space and interposed between the oscillation and the amplification media.

Abstract: A lasing system for lasing at x-ray wavelengths. In one embodiment, a neoike sulfur ion S.sup.6+ plasma is caused to radiate on its 3d.fwdarw.2p transition to pump a lithium-like neon Ne.sup.7+ plasma to obtain x-ray lasing. In a second embodiment, a lithium-like silicon S.sub.i.sup.11+ ion plasma is caused to radiate on the 3d.fwdarw.2p transition to pump lithium-like magnesium Mg.sup.9+ plasma to obtain x-ray lasing.

Abstract: An integral mirror type laser system which produces miltiline emissions simultaneously and which is adapted for use in optical data processing systems. In particular, in a first embodiment, a unitary positive column laser comprises two sections, the first section comprising a positive column helium-cadmium laser, the second section comprising a positive column helium-neon laser, the first and second sections being coaxially aligned and having different inner diameters. Simultaneous excitation in the two different sections provides optimum excitation for red laser light, produced by the helium-neon section and blue laser light produced by the helium-neon-cadmium section. The present system also allows separate cadmium vapor pressure control by separately controlling the vaporization temperature of the cadmium and also allows confinement of the cadmium vapor whereby the vapor does not contaminate one of the optical windows which confines the active laser medium.

Abstract: The use of a Galilean telescope, situated in between the two lasing mediums that are located within the resonant cavity of a single longitudinal mode hybrid laser, increases the effective mode volume and, hence, the amount of lasing energy that can be derived from such a hybrid laser.

Abstract: A total internal reflection, face pumped laser is provided, in a single head, with two (or more) generally parallel, spaced apart hosts for providing a higher average power output than the typical single host FPL. A pair of flash lamps, one each adjacent the outer surface of each host, acts as the "pumping" means for the laser and operates in effect to produce asymmetrical pumping of the respective hosts. In order to prevent exceeding the thermal stress limit and thermally inducing bending of the hosts, a system of asymmetrical cooling is provided whereby a greater flow of fluid coolant is provided the surfaces of the two hosts which are closer to the "pumping" flash lamps than to the inner host surfaces which are proximate one another.

Abstract: A laser tape system for use in the resonant cavity of laser consisting of a flexible tape carrying at least one lasing dye and adapted for insertion into the resonant cavity, and a drive mechanism for moving the tape such that different portions of the tape may be focused within the cavity.

Abstract: A combustion driven laser employs HBr as one of a plurality of lasing species. One embodiment of the invention lases simultaneously on the three species HF, HCl, HBr.

Abstract: A laser device pumped by RF microwaves at frequencies in the range of 8 to 12 GHz (X-band). An optical cavity containing a lasing medium is located within an RF cavity resonant at a frequency in the X-band. X-band RF energy is supplied from an RF source to a waveguide. A coupling plate, forming a common wall between the waveguide and the RF cavity, couples the RF energy from the waveguide into the cavity to produce a standing wave pattern therein which excites the lasing medium. Various coupling plate designs are disclosed. In an alternative embodiment, a plurality of separate optical cavities containing separate lasing media are located within the RF cavity and are commonly excited by the microwave energy.

Abstract: A hybrid laser system, consisting of two different laser units, namely a reference laser (4), possibly an injection laser or a laser amplifier, and a transversely excited laser (TE-laser) (5), possibly a longitudinally pulsed or Q-switched laser, both lasers residing in a common housing. The first laser consists of a tube enclosing an isolated low pressure space and is bathed by coolant. The second laser is a high-pressure space enclosing a folded electrode system (14, 15). In order to achieve uniformity of temperature conditions and wavelength relations, both lasers share a common resonator volume (3) and are in fixed relative adjustment. The reference laser is used as a calibrating laser for frequency tuning of the resonator or, simultaneously, as a local oscillator, whereas the TE laser serves to generate a laser pulse.

Abstract: Electromagnetic radiation (10) is provided in a gas mixture (12) including helium in the X(1) state and nitrogen in the Y(1) state.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing stable and reproducible ultra-short lasing radiation pulses are disclosed. The duration of incoming pumping pulses for the dye laser arrangement is reduced in stages to produce the ultra-short pulses. A first dye laser cavity of a series of at least two cascaded dye laser cavities is excited with lasing radiation pulses. The lasing radiation pulses emerging from each dye laser cavity of the series are directed into the next successive dye laser cavity of the series. The photon cavity lifetime of each dye laser cavity of the series is sufficient for a given duration of the incoming pumping pulses to produce the ultra-short pulses emerging from the final dye laser cavity of the series. The maximum photon cavity lifetime of each dye laser cavity of the series is selected to thereby reduce in stages the duration of the incoming pumping pulses. This reduction yields from the final dye laser cavity of the series the ultra-short lasing radiation pulses.

Abstract: A device which uses a light signal to control the amplification of light is disclosed. Optically active ions in a laser material are pumped to an intermediate energy state by light of a first frequency, and thereafter pumped from the intermediate energy state to an upper energy state by light of a second frequency. Lasing occurs when the optically active ions fall back to the intermediate energy state. When the intensity of the light of the first frequency is below the threshold pumping level, no laser action can occur even though the intensity of the light of the second frequency is above its threshold pumping level. Thus a large output power can be controlled by a small input power.