Lasers with a gaseous active medium offer high flexibility, wide tunability, and advantages in cost, beam quality, and power scalability. Gas lasers have tended to become overshadowed by the recent popularity and proliferation of semiconductor lasers. As a result of this shift in focus, details on modern developments in gas lasers are difficult to find. In addition, different types of gas lasers have unique properties that are not well-described in other references. Collecting expert contributions from authorities dealing with specific types of lasers, Gas Lasers examines the fundamentals, current research, and applications of this important class of laser.
It is important to understand all types of lasers, from solid-state to gaseous, before making a decision for any application. This book fills in the gaps by discussing the definition and properties of gaseous media along with its fluid dynamics, electric excitation circuits, and optical resonators. From this foundation, the discussion launches into the basic physics, characteristics, applications, and current research efforts for specific types of gas lasers: CO lasers, CO2 lasers, HF/DF lasers, excimer lasers, iodine lasers, and metal vapor lasers. The final chapter discusses miscellaneous lasers not covered in the previous chapters.
Collecting hard-to-find material into a single, convenient source, Gas Lasers offers an encyclopedic survey that helps you approach new applications with a more complete inventory of laser options.
Introduction
Gas Media
Spectroscopy of Gases
Spectral Lines
Gain Conditions
Laser Action-A Simple Model
Laser Resonators
Pumping Techniques
Cooling Systems
References
FLUID DYNAMICS; Victor V.V. Malkov, A.V. Savin, and A.S. Boreisho
CW Supersonic Gas Lasers
Flow Structure in the Laser Cavity after Mixing Nozzle Bank
Optical Quality of Flow in the Laser Cavity after Mixing Nozzle Bank
Problem of Mixing in the Nozzles of Supersonic Chemical Lasers
Resonators of High-Power Supersonic Gas Laser
Pressure Recovery Systems for Chemical Supersonic Gas Laser
References
OPTICAL RESONATORS; A.P. Napartovich
Introduction
Basic Equations and Methodologies
Types of Resonators
Gain Saturation and Mode-Medium Interaction Effects
References
ELECTRIC CIRCUITS; V. Khukharev
General Aspect of Ionized Gas Discharge
Self-Sustained vs Non-Self-Sustained Discharges
Pulsing Circuits
Preionization Techniques
Radio-Frequency Excitation Circuits vs DC Glow Discharge
References
ELECTRIC DISCHARGE CO LASERS; A.A. Ionin
Introduction
Historical Remarks
Mechanism of Formation of Inversion Population in Electric Discharge CO Laser
Small-Signal Gain and CO Laser Spectrum
Pulsed Mode of CO Laser Operation
Theoretical Model of Electric Discharge CO Laser
Experimental Research and Development of Fundamental Band CO Lasers
Research and Development of Overtone CO Lasers
References
DC-EXCITED CONTINUOUS-WAVE CONVENTIONAL AND RF-EXCITED WAVEGUIDE CO2 LASERS; E.F. Plinski and K.M. Abramski
Carbon Dioxide Molecule
Regular, Sequence, and Hot Transitions
Isotope Spectral Displacement
Basic Spectral and Gain Parameters of CO2 Laser Medium
Sealed-Off Conditions of a CO2 Laser
The CO2 Laser Structure-Mechanical, Electrical, and Optical
Tuning and Single-Frequency Operation
RF-Excited Waveguide CO2 Laser
RF-Excited Waveguide CO2 Laser Arrays
RF-Excited Slab-Waveguide CO2 Lasers
Sealed-Off Diffusion-Cooled RF Transversely Excited All-Metal CO2 Lasers
Temperature Distributions
Dynamics of the CO2 Laser
DC or RF Excitation?
Microwave Excitation of CO2 Lasers
Some Practical Formulas-Optical Properties of CO2:N2:He Mixture
References
HIGH-POWER ELECTRIC CO2 LASERS; A.E. Hill
Introduction and Historical Background
Technical Discussion: Early Developments
Basic Theory of Power Extraction
Maximizing Power or Efficiency
Optimal Use of Compressible Gas Dynamic Effects
Optimal Cavity Design
Cavity Design Examples Pertaining to Continuous Transonic Flow Axial Lasers
Some Pressure Scaling Considerations
Production and Control of Very Uniform, Large-Volume, High-Pressure Plasmas with Large Specific Power Input
First 20 KW Class Compact Laser
Alternative Means of Large-Volume, High-Pressure Plasma Stabilization
''TEA'' Laser Development
Electron Beam Ionized CO2 Lasers
Controlled Avalanche Ionization Lasers
Compact Giant Single-Pulsed CO2 Lasers
Compact, High-Repetition Rate CO2 Lasers
Compact, Continuous, Controlled Avalanche Ionized CO2 Lasers
Special Problems Associated with Very High Continuous Power
Mode-Media Instabilities
Suggested Methodologies to Eliminate Mode-Media Interaction Instabilities
Promising Areas of Development for the Future
References
HYDROGEN AND DEUTERIUM FLUORIDE CHEMICAL LASERS; H.W. Behrens and P.D. Lohn
Overview
Physics and Chemistry of Combustion Driven Continuous Wave Chemical Lasers
Fluid Mechanics of Chemical Lasers
Modeling of Chemical Lasers
References
EXCIMER AND EXCIPLEX LASERS; S.I. Yakovlenko
Introduction
Rare-Gas Dimer Lasers
Exciplex Lasers
Pulse Repetition Discharge Exciplex Lasers
Conclusion
ATOMIC IODINE LASERS; S.J. Davis, W.E. McDermott, and M.C. Heaven
Introduction
Basic Physics of Atomic Iodine Lasers
Photolytic Iodine Lasers
Chemical Oxygen Iodine Lasers
COIL Diagnostics
Singlet Oxygen Yield
The All Gas-Phase Iodine Laser
Electric Oxygen Iodine Lasers
Summary
References
METAL VAPOR LASERS; Nikola V. Sabotinov
Introduction
Metal Vapor Lasers, General Points
Types of Metal Vapor Lasers
Copper Lasers
The He-Cd Laser
UV Copper Ion Lasers
References
OTHER GAS LASERS; K.M. Abramski and E.F. Plinski
Introduction
He-Ne Lasers
Ion Lasers
Far Infrared Laser
The Submillimeter HCN Laser
Xe Laser
The N2 Laser
References
INDEX
Biography
Masamori Endo, Robert F. Walter
". . . well-organized and comprehensive book is an excellent source for researchers in the gas laser field . . . well-written and informative, with sufficient technical depth for understanding the physics involved but without too much mathematical theory . . . It provides many hard-to-find articles into one reference book and gives an excellent background into the theory and operation of many types of lasers giving the reader a good sense of the advantages and disadvantages of each type of laser."
– In IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine, March/ April 2008, Vol. 24, No. 2
