Kenzo Nanri

Output Power Enhancement of a Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Laser by Predissociated Iodine Injection.

Output power enhancement of a chemical oxygen-iodine laser (COIL) by an injection of predissociated iodine was studied. Iodine molecules were dissociated into atoms by the microwave discharge prior to injection. It was determined that predissociation caused a negative effect on the output power enhancement when this technique was applied to a conventional supersonic COIL. Model calculations revealed that the existence of atomic iodine at the plenum caused the dissipation of stored energy. It was demonstrated that decreasing the mixing point pressure was crucial to obtain output power enhancement by the predissociation technique. For this purpose, a low-pressure transonic mixing scheme with a grid nozzle array was developed. A 9% enhancement of output power was demonstrated.

Two-dimensional simulation of an unstable resonator with a stable core

An optical resonator simulation code based on the idea of a partially coherent optical field has been developed and used to optimize the design parameters of an unstable resonator with a stable core. The resonator was intended for use with low-gain, large-bore lasers, such as the chemical oxygen-iodine laser (COIL). First the design parameters of the resonator were optimized by the simulation code; then a set of mirrors was fabricated for a small-scale COIL. A 14-W output with M(2) = 29 was obtained. The experimentally obtained results were in good agreement with calculations.

Yb fiber laser pumped mid-IR source based on difference frequency generation and its application to ammonia detection.

A Yb fiber laser pumped cw narrow-linewidth tunable mid-IR source based on a difference frequency generation (DFG) in a periodically poled LiNbO3 (PPLN) crystal for trace gas detection was demonstrated. A high power Yb fiber laser and a distributed feedback (DFB) laser diode were used as DFG pump sources. This source generated mid-IR at 3 microns with a powers of ~2.5 microW and a spectral linewidth of less than 30 MHz. A frequency tuning range of 300 GHz (10 cm-1) was obtained by varying the current and temperature of the DFB laser diode. A high-resolution NH3 absorption Doppler-broadened spectrum at 3295.4 cm-1 (3.0345 microns) was obtained at a cell pressure of 27 Pa from which a detection sensitivity of 24 ppm m was estimated.

Performance Characteristics of Narrow Linewidth Fiber Laser Pumped Mid-IR Difference Frequency Mixing Light Source for Methane Detection

A high-power, narrow-linewidth Yb fiber laser with a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) pumped difference frequency generation (DFG) in a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal was investigated in detail. A mid-IR power of approximately 2.3 microW at 3.3 micrometers with a slope efficiency of 0.85 mW/W2 was achieved. A Doppler-broadened absorption spectrum of CH4 at 3038.497 cm-1 (3.2911 micrometers) was obtained with a 0.1-m long-gas cell at a pressure of 133 Pa. The linewidth of the DFG source was evaluated to be less than 96 MHz from the observed spectral linewidth. Real-time monitoring of CH4 (approximately 1.78 ppm) in ambient air in a multipass cell which has an optical path length of 10 m was also demonstrated.

Development of a Mist Singlet Oxygen Generator.

The singlet oxygen generator (SOG) generates singlet oxygen for a chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL), using the gas-liquid reaction between basic hydrogen peroxide (BHP) and Cl2 gas. The Jet-SOG has been widely used, wherein jet BHP from small orifices reacts with Cl2 gas, and the BHP utilization is less than 1% in a single pass through the reaction zone. To improve BHP utilization, the reaction surface with Cl2 gas should be increased, and the droplet diameter of BHP should be decreased. In this study, two types of mist generators were tested for the SOG, with which 65-µm- and 15-µm-diameter droplets were generated. In the 65 µm mist generator, BHP utilization was 22.5% at the Cl2 flow rate of 8.3 mmol/s, and in the 15 µm mist generator, BHP utilization was 41.5% at the Cl2 flow rate of 9.0 mmol/s, that is, BHP utilization of the new SOG, Mist-SOG, markedly exceeded that of the conventional Jet-SOG.

Simple Real Time Trace Nitrogen Dioxide Detector Based on Continuous-Wave Cavity Ringdown Spectroscopy Using Passively Locked External Cavity Diode Laser

We report on a compact trace nitrogen dioxide (NO2) detector based on cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CRDS), using a passively locked external cavity diode laser (PLEC-DL) in the visible wavelength region. Tailoring the spatial mode matching conditions of an antireflection (AR)-coated diode laser with a high finesse external cavity for effective optical feedback into the DL allows for stable resonant enhancement in the external cavity without any electric feedback apparatus. The external cavity having a finesse in excess of 1.4×105 acts as a ringdown cavity with an effective optical volume (i.e., detection volume) of less than 1 cm3. We successfully demonstrated a noise equivalent absorption loss of 1.4×10-8 cm-1, corresponding to a detection limit of 40 ppb NO2 concentration with a very compact configuration. For differential absorption CRDS, we realized a dual wavelength-locked PLEC-DL in an external cavity simultaneously. Measurements of various NO2 concentrations in N2 based on differential absorption CRDS were performed.

Spatial Spectrum Chirp Characteristic of a Martinez-Type Multipass Pulse Stretcher

We demonstrated the capability of a Martinez-type multipass pulse stretcher to produce the pulse duration of about 1 ns stretched from 100 fs with well-preserved quality of the beam pattern and spatial spectral uniformity in the multipass configuration. The beam pattern after being stretched through the pulse stretcher depends significantly on the incident angle to the stretcher grating and the accuracy of adjustment of the optical elements. The observed spatial distribution of the wavelength in the beam cross section after being stretched is in good agreement with the simulation results.

Modeling of crossflow jet-type singlet oxygen generator

A quasi-two-dimensional model has been developed to predict the performance of a crossflow jet singlet oxygen generator. The model takes into account HO2− depletion, gas temperature variation due to the pooling deactivation of O2(Δ1), and the stretch effect of gas/liquid interaction area due to the jet-induced pressure loss. The modeling results compare favorably with the test data measured over a wide range of geometries and operation conditions. The overall agreements between measured and calculated values in terms of root-mean-square errors for utilization, yield, and gas temperature are 0.030, 0.035, and 16.23K, respectively.

Parametric Studies on Improved Laser Cutting Performance of Magnesium Alloy with Two Flow Nozzles

We describe a newly proposed method of cutting a magnesium alloy using a high-energy CO2 laser. Improved laser cutting was achieved when the movement of the molten metal in the kerf was controlled by supplying assist gas from two nozzles positioned above and below the cutting sample. In order to analyze the gas flow and the movement of the molten metal in detail, a flow visualization experiment that simulated the molten metal ejection was also performed using an acrylic work-piece and water as the operation fluid. The results of this simulation were then compared with those of a computational fluid dynamics calculation. Such comprehensive model analysis revealed that the well-balanced gas flows from the two nozzles could enable the desirable flow and fast velocity to be generated both in the kerf and underneath the workpiece, under the conditions where high-quality laser cutting is achieved.

Performance of high-power lasers for rock excavation

Rock excavation experiment with a 10kW-class CO2 laser was demonstrated as a basic study for field application of high power lasers. Sample rocks used in this experiment as a workpiece were tuff breccia and granite. Effect of assist gases on the excavation rate was surveyed. Oxygen, nitrogen, and air were examined and found not to be useful. It was because the gas flow could not blow the molten rocks off, but only helps to cool in case the hole races certain depth. Excavation rate on both rocks for a various output powers was measured to determine thermal constants inherent to each rock. It was found that the excavation rate resulted in slower, as the hole becomes deeper, because of the deterioration in evacuation efficiency of the molten rock. Thermal parameters of the both rocks were derived from the experimental results. Using simplified thermal balance model, it was estimated that a 50 kW-class mobile laser system has a potential to outperform the conventional mechanical excavation technique.