Nikolay K. Vuchkov

Parametric study of the CuBr laser with hydrogen additives

A systematic investigation of the electric parameters of the CuBr laser plasma during the excitation pulse in their correlation to the laser output characteristics is presented. Based on the electric parameters, the temporal course is calculated of the electron density during the discharge. The authors offer a simple mechanism which generally explains how the hydrogen occurred in the copper vapor laser. The mechanism consists of shielding copper ionization by the process of electron detachment from negative hydrogen ions. >

Effect of hydrogen on CuBr laser power and efficiency

Abstract Addition of small amounts of hydrogen to the neon buffer gas in a CuBr laser causes doubling of the average output power and laser efficiency. An efficiency of 1% is easily obtained. Electrical parameters of the pulsed discharge as functions of the hydrogen additive pressure are reported.

Copper bromide laser of 120-W average output power

A Ne-H/sub 2/-CuBr laser (/spl lambda/510.6, 578.2 nm) is reported, which produced an average output power of 120 W at 2.5% efficiency (based on stored energy) and 100 W at 3% efficiency. These output power and efficiency figures are record values for copper bromide lasers. The sealed-off device produced maximum output power at a pulse recurrency frequency (PRF) of 17.5 kHz. Laser operating characteristics and electrical parameters are described.

UV lasing on Cu/sup +/ in a Ne-CuBr pulsed longitudinal discharge

UV lasing on copper ion transitions in CuBr vapor laser has been obtained in a nanosecond pulsed longitudinal discharge with Brewster windows and external mirrors. A record small-signal gain per unit length has been achieved (up to 19%/m and 16%/m for the 238.6- and 270.3-nm transitions, respectively). Infrared (IR) laser action on Cu ions in a He-CuBr discharge and on Ag ions in a He-AgI (silver iodide) discharge has also been observed. A maximum average output power of 430 mW has been achieved multiline (740.4-780.8 nm) on the Cu+ IR transitions. A maximal gain of 58%/m has been obtained on the strongest 780.8-nm transition.

Strontium atom laser excited by nanosecond pulsed longitudinal He-SrBr2 discharge

An investigation of a strontium bromide vapour laser excited by a nanosecond pulsed longitudinal discharge is presented. The optimal discharge conditions for laser oscillation on several Sr atom and ion lines are found. At multiline output an average laser power of 2.4u2009W is obtained, more than 80% of which is concentrated at the 6.45u2009µm Sr atom line.

Influence on operating characteristics of scaling sealed-off CuBr lasers in active length

Abstract We have scaled sealed-off copper bromide lasers in average output power from 24 W to 58 W by increasing the active length from 50 to 120 cm. It was found that the increase in active length was accompanied by an increase in operating efficiency from 1.8 to 2.2%, and a reduction in power dissipated at the electrodes. A complex behaviour of laser output power on pulse recurrence frequency has been attributed to the influence of acoustic resonances on particle densities in the laser discharge. It was also found that the CuBr reservoir temperature must be increased as PRF is increased in order to maximize output power. The hydrogen partial pressure optimum for laser oscillation in our 40 mm discharge tubes was found to be twice that found in earlier studies in which the gas discharge was limited to 20 mm effective diameter.

A CuBr laser with 1.4 W/cm/sup 3/ average output power

An average laser power of 6.7 W has been obtained from a small-bore CuBr laser with a constructive active volume of 4.77 cm/sup 3/, i.e., a record specific average power of 1.4 W/cm/sup 3/ for multikilohertz operation of copper vapor lasers has been achieved. It was found that the small-bore CuBr laser can operate with a neon buffer at atmospheric pressures. >

Experimental study on the spectral and spatial characteristics of a high-power He–SrBr2 laser

An active volume scaling in the bore and length of a Sr atom laser excited in a nanosecond pulse longitudinal He–SrBr2 discharge is carried out. The optimal temperature regime is found for laser oscillation on several different Sr atom and ion lines. The optimal discharge conditions for achieving a maximal multiline average output power are also found. At multiline operation a record average output power of 4.25 W is obtained, more than 90% of which is concentrated on the 6.45 µm Sr atom line. The radial distribution of the laser intensity is obtained experimentally to be a high-beam-quality Gaussian profile.

Effect of hydrogen on the average output power of the UV Cu/sup +/ Ne-CuBr laser

The effect of different additives-air, synthetic air, N/sub 2/, O/sub 2/, CO/sub 2/, He, Ar, Xe, and H/sub 2/, to the neon buffer gas on the average output power of a UV Cu/sup +/ Ne-CuBr is investigated. It is found that the addition of small amounts of hydrogen, 0.02-0.04 torr, leads to an increase by more than twice of the average output power for simultaneous laser oscillation at the five Cu/sup +/ lines-248.6, 252.9, 259.7, 260.0, and 270.3 nm.

Long-lived sealed-off CuBr laser

Abstract Investigations on the life-time of a whole-heated sealed-off CuBr laser are reported. Keeping the bromine concentration low enough not less than 500 h of laser operation is already realizable. The decrease of laser power is due mainly to output windows pollution.