The possibility of high-energy-storage lasers using the auroral and transauroral transitions of column-VI elements

Abstract

An analysis of laser systems involving the auroral and transauroral transitions of photolytically excited column-VIA elements is given. Excitation mechanisms, kinetic processes, and collisionally stimulated radiation are examined. Photolytic production of the VIA 1S metastable using rare-gas excimer radiation is emphasized. Oxygen at 5577 Å, sulfur at 7727 and 4589 Å, and possibly selenium at 4888 Å appear as attractive candidates suitable for high-energy-storage short-pulse applications.

Nonlinear optical processes in atoms and molecules using rare-gas halide lasers

“…8 and 9 show typical XeO* and KrO* emission spectra from our experiments. The resolution of these spectra was limited by the 10 nm bandpass of our interference filters; but within this limitation, our results agree with other observations of these emissions [46]. The large spectral range of the XeO* fluorescence is evidence of the importance in the emission of bound excited states of XeO arising from Xe('S) t O(lS) and Xe('S) -t O( 'D).…”

“…The apparatus and techniques used were similar to those in the experiments we have described above; in our rare-gas oxide studies, however, we also used a PAR 1 120 amplifier-discriminator and Systron-Donner 6151 counter for photon counting of weak signals. We observed the production of excited O(l S ) by monitoring the well-known collision-induced emission 'D) auroral emission line at 557.7 nm [46], Fig. 8 and 9 show typical XeO* and KrO* emission spectra from our experiments.…”

“…Another class of rare-gas exciplexes which is of interest in the high-power laser field is the rare-gas oxides [46]. As in XeF*, the kinetics of the XeO and KrO systems may be conveniently studied by energy transfer from selectively excited Xe and Kr states [lo] .…”

Nuclear-pumped flashlamp sources

“…The concept of the NDF was a natural evolution from the electrical flashlamp research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory during the mid-l970's (Swingle et al 1976Murray & Rhodes 1976. Several research teams working on nuclear-pumped lasers began work on various NDF concepts including the University of Illinois, the University of Florida, NASA Langley Research Center, U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Defense Center (USA/BMD), Auburn University, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Wayne State University, the University of Missouri, and the Nuclear-Pumped Laser Corporation.…”

Nuclear driven flashlamps

“…The concept of the NDF was a natural evolution from the flashlamp research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory during the mid-1970's (Swingle et al 1976Murray & Rhodes 1976. Several research teams working on nuclear-pumped lasers began work on various NDF concepts including the University of Illinois, the University of Florida, NASA Langley Research Center, U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Defence Center (USA/BMD), Auburn University, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Wayne State University, the University of Missouri, and the Nuclear-Pumped Laser Corporation.…”