Amplified spontaneous emission in xenon pumped by gamma rays

Comments About Nuclear-Pumped Laser Research in the United States

“…Verdeyen had already done some pioneering work on the Transversely Excited Atmospheric Pressure (TEA) CO 2 Laser, and was extremely knowledgeable (he later went on to write a classic textbook on lasers, Laser Electronics, now in its third edition). He agreed with my assessment that CO 2 could easily be pumped in the TRIGA reactor, even with the low neutron fluxes available with steady state operation giving neutron fluxes of~10 14 n/cm 2 s. Pulsing would be "overkill." A boron coating on the laser tube would generate alpha particles from neutron-alpha reactions, and the charged alphas entering the CO 2 gas would deposit the energy needed for pumping the laser.…”

“…The first demonstration of an NPL was in 1974, when a γ-ray-driven laser pumped by a thermonuclear explosion was reported [14,15]. To distinguish the work focused on here from such experiments, some researchers have proposed the term reactor-pumped lasers (RPLs), but this discussion will continue to use the traditional NPL terminology.…”

Nuclear-Induced Plasmas of Gas Mixtures and Nuclear-Pumped Lasers

“…Xenon emitted as Xe 2 * excimer molecules was used as an active media. Experiments on xenon excimer laser pumping (λ ~ 170 nm) were done in a testing area in Nevada in 1973 [4]. Experiments to develop NPLs using nuclear explosive devices were carried out up until 1987 when underground test ban was introduced.…”

Comparative studies of fission fragment and electron beam driven solid-state lasers and reactor-laser system modeling

“…The first NPLs to show lasing were Xe [44] and HF [45] systems pumped by gamma rays from a nuclear weapon detonation. Such lasers were more interest to theory than application since their intent was to prove lasing could be accomplished by ionizing radiation.…”