Ar ion laser assisted chemical etching of via holes in tungsten sheets in air

Ar ion laser assisted chemical etching of 150 m thick annealed tungsten sheets in air is reported. The material removal mechanism involves local heating by the laser to temperatures in the range of 1000–1500 °C that causes rapid oxidation of the W to WO₃ which volatilizes readily. Holes with straight walls and slightly enlarged entrances near the surface were drilled with etch rates as high as 11.5 m/s at 13.8 W, and a minimum hole diameter of 21 m at 8.1 W. The diameters of the holes and the etch rates were measured and found to increase as a function of the laser power. It was found that by increasing the laser power above 11–12 W, no change was observed in the hole diameters which remained constant at about 31 m, whereas the etch rates continued to increase even faster than at low powers. Distinct adjacent holes of 25 m diameter could be drilled with their centers separated by as little as 60 m. This is therefore also the etching resolution in the present study.     

High efficiency cw far infrared lasers at 119 μm and 127 μm

The optically pumped FIR laser lines at 119 m from CH₃OH and at 127 m from¹³CD₃OH are known to be the most powerful in the far infrared spectral region. We report on efficiency measurements for our waveguide laser system. The effect of various parameters was investigated, resulting in the highest efficiency ever reported for the 119 m line. The Stark effect and others parameters of the 127 m were measured, and a new¹³CD₃OH laser line at 175 m discovered, with the same pump transition. These measurements are helpful for completing the assignment already proposed for the 127 m line.     

High repetition rate CH4 laser

A 16-m CF₄ laser oscillator has operated at 1 kHz in a cooled static cell. Pump energies required from the low pressure, Q-switched, cw discharge CO₂ laser were as low as 60 J. The laser cavity employed a multiple-pass off-axis path resonator in a ring configuration. CF₄ laser power at 615 cm^–1 and a 1-kHz repetition rate exceeded 300 W.     

Slow and monoenergetic (3Heμ−)+ beam production and novel applications

Based upon the recent discovery at UT MSL/KEK, a new idea is proposed for producing a slow and monoenergetic (3.2 keV) (³He^–)⁺ ion beam by using particle decay of the (d³He) muon molecule formed during the (d) to³He transfer reaction. The proposed intense (³He) beam as well as the less intense (⁴He) beam will open up way to various new types of important CF experiments.     

Gain dynamics of the 4.3 μm CO2 laser

A detailed study of the gain dynamics of the pulsed, optically pumped 4.3 m CO₂ laser is described. Small-signal gain coefficients as high as 14%/cm are measured in a 4.3 m amplifier using low-power pulses from a 4.3 m probe laser. The measurements are compared with a rate-equation model and good quantitative agreement is obtained. The model, which uses no adjustable parameters, is described in detail. Gain is studied as a function of optical pumping power, gas mixture, gas pressure and discharge excitation of the 4.3 m amplifier. Optimization of the gain is discussed.     

Studies of laser-induced cavitation and tissue ablation in saline using a fibre-delivered pulsed HF laser

We describe studies of the interaction of 400 ns duration, fibre delivered, multiline (2.6–3.0 m) HF-laser pulses with cornea and retina samples in saline. In this wavelength region water exhibits strong absorption (beam penetration depth 1.6 m) and laser heating leads to the creation of a hot, high pressure, vapour cavity (laser-induced cavitation) at the fibre tip. The dynamics of vapour cavity growth have been investigated experimentally using the laser shadowgraph technique and theoretically by employing an equivalent spherical cavity model for an incompressible liquid. Measurements of ablation rates and transient acoustic pressures for cornea ablation in saline, together with scanning electron microscope evaluation of irradiated samples are used to assess the damage range and mechanisms for this mid-IR laser in a strongly absorbing fluid.     

Self pulsing properties of optically pumped FIR NH3 lasers

We report on measurements of periodic and chaotic self-pulsing beyond the second threshold of far-infrared NH₃ lasers. While the instabilities of the 81 m¹⁴NH₃ laser follow a simple pattern, for the 374 m¹⁵NH₃ laser different pulsing properties are found in different parameter ranges.Pulses under conditions of high pumping power are measured in detail, in view of possible applications of these coherent, high-repetition rate far-infrared pulsed lasers.     

Determination of the Coefficient of Laser Radiation Reflection from Dielectric Targets in Vacuum

We present the results of experimental determination of the coefficients of laser radiation reflection (₁ 10.6 m and ₂ 1.06 m) from dielectric targets of complex chemical composition in vacuum with allowance for a regime of developed plasma formation.     

Frequencies and wavelengths from a new, efficient FIR lasing gas: CD2F2

We report for the first time wavelength, relative polarization, and frequency measurements for 47 new cw FIR laser lines in the wavelength region from 120 to 1714 m, all obtained by optically pumping CD₂F₂ with a CO₂ laser. Relative output powers were also measured. For comparison, the 189.8 m line pumped by R_I(34) is nearly five times as efficient as the 118.8 m methyl alcohol line.Contribution of the U.S. Government, not subject to copyright.     

Optically pumped submillimeter laser lines from CH2F2 and CD2Cl2 using a12C18O2 CW laser

Thirty-nine new submillimetre laser lines in CH₂F₂ and twelve in CD₂Cl₂ have been obtained in a Fabry-Perot FIR resonator by optically pumping with a CW¹²C¹⁸O₂ laser. The wavelength range obtained for CH₂F₂ is 126m to 1091m and for CD₂Cl₂ 212m to 774m. The wavelength measurements are accurate to within 5.10^–3. The relative polarisations of the pump laser and the FIR laser output were also determined. Tentative assignments of the IR and FIR transitions were made using existing microwave data.     

Analysis of the effects of doping and barrier design on the small-signal modulation characteristics of long-wavelength multiple quantum well lasers

This theoretical work has modelled the small signal response of InGaAsP and InGaAlAs multiple quantum well (MQW) lasers based on an ambipolar carrier transport model. The MQW parameters such as barrier bandgap, barrier width and the number of quantum wells have been optimized for high-speed modulation. The effect of the p-type doping and the strain of the InGaAs well have also been investigated.For the InGaAsP-based system, the optimization for maximum 3 dB bandwitdth shows that the optimum width is about 5 nm for 1.1 m barriers and 7 nm for 1.2 m barriers. The optimum barrier bandgap wavelength is about 1.1 m for the barrier width of 6 nm, about 1.15 m for 8 nm and 10 nm barriers. The p-doped MQW exhibits a higher modulation bandwidth because of its high differential gain and improved carrier distribution among the MQWs. The compressively strained InGaAs quantum well system has the potential for a higher modulation bandwidth. For the InGaAlAs-based system, the optimization for maximum 3 dB bandwidth shows that the optimum width is about 4 nm for a barrier wavelength of 1.10 m, and 6 nm for 1.2 m. The optimum barrier bandgap wavelength is about 1.1 m for a barrier width of 4 nm, and about 1.2 m for 6, 8 and 10 nm.     

Light absorption in laser-heated cavities

The absorption of laser light in 0.25–1 mm diameter gold cavities, irradiated for the purpose of generating high-temperature blackbody radiation with intense laser radiation of either =0.44 m or =1.3 m wavelength, was investigated. For =0.44 m radiation the absorption exceeded 0.9 for all conditions, but dropped to only 0.3 for the smallest cavities irradiated at =1.3 m. Entrance hole and cavity filling with plasma seems important for the understanding of the observations.     

The lasing mechanism of nuclear-pumped IR lasers at krypton and argon atomic transitions

For studying the lasing mechanism of nuclear-pumped IR lasers at krypton and argon atomic transitions, the kinetics of the plasma process is considered and computations are made for the energy and threshold characteristics of He-Kr (=2.52 m) and He-Ar (=1.79 m) lasers excited by uranium fission fragments. The calculated optimal pressures, mixture compositions, laser output powers and threshold characteristics agree satisfactorily with the experimental ones.     

Systematic study of muon transfer to sulphur dioxide

In a systematic study of the transfer process to sulphur dioxide, in seven different H₂ + SO₂ gas mixtures, the time spectra of the muonic sulphur X-rays yield muon transfer rates to the SO₂ molecule, deduced from the lifetimes of the p atoms, which agree all well with each other. The muonic oxygen time spectra show an additional structure as if p atoms of another kind were present. Reduced transfer rates_O are reproducible if one uses the model of ephemeral p atoms. The intensity ratios between the different kinds of p atoms are also discussed in the framework of this model and the one of black and white p atoms.     

The Spectrum of Ground-State Reversed Transition of CH3OH Far-Infrared Laser

Using the CH₃OH molecular energy levels data base management program, we deduced that when a CH₃OH laser pumped by CO₂-9P(16) line, there should be a FIR laser line of 918m wavelength, which corresponding to a transition in ground-state reversed three-level energy system. For the first time, the spectra of ground-state reversed three-level system transitions were calculated by solving the density matrix equations, and the spectrum characteristics of 918m line were studied. Experimentally, the CH₃OH FIR laser line of 918m wavelength was obtained by pumping with a TEA-CO₂ laser. The experimental results were in good agreement with the theoretical calculations.     

A twin optically-pumped far-infrared CH3OH laser for plasma diagnostics

A twin optically-pumped far-infrared CH₃OH laser has been constructed for use in plasma diagnostics. The antisymmetric doublet due to the Raman-type resonant two-photon transition is reproducibly observed at 118.8 m. With the 118.8-m line, it is obtained from the frequency separation of the anti-symmetric doublet that CH₃OH absorption line center is 16±1 MHz higher than the pump 9.7-m P(36) CO₂ laser line center. It is shown that the Raman-type resonant two-photon transition is useful in order to get several-MHz phase modulation for the far-infrared laser interferometer. Some preliminary performances of this twin laser for the modulated interferometer are described.This work was carried out under the collaborating research program at the Institute of Plasma Physics, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464, Japan.     

Experimental survey of the sticking problem in muon catalyzed dt fusion

The sticking process dt + n, which constitutes the most severe limit to the number of fusions which a muon can catalyze, is reviewed. Many attempts were made to determine by calculations and measurements the probability for initial sticking _s ⁰ (immediately after dt fusion) and for final sticking _s (after the came to rest). Previous results based on neutron disappearance rates and on the observation of -X-rays were controversial and also in some disagreement with theory. New data are reported from PSI on direct observation of final sticking, using a setup with the St. Petersburg ionization chamber. These data mark a significant improvement in reliability and may clarify questions concerning previous discrepancies. The new results is _s(0.56±0.04)%, lower than the theory prediction _s=(0.65±0.03)%, at medium density.     

The refractivity of CO2 gas in the region of 10 μm

The refractivity of the CO₂ gas is measured with an experimental error of 2% in the 10-m region, using 10.4-m band CO₂ laser line. The frequency of the CO₂ laser is swept through the Doppler profile of the laser line. The experiment is achieved using a 0.63-m He–Ne/10.6-m CO₂-laser interferometer with a 2-m long vacuum cell. From the result, it is found that the Koch's formula also holds for the wavelengths in the 10-m region within an accuracy of 2%.     

Periodicity and chaos in a modulated logistic map

We study the onset of chaos in a logistic map whose parameter is modulated nonlinearly. The bifurcation pattern with respect to a parameter is obtained and the critical value of is seen to be 0.89, where periodicity just ends. Further evidence for this regime is obtained from the analysis of the intermittency pattern. The stability in the different ranges of under repeated iteration is exhibited by the values of Lyapunov exponents. Beyond=0.89, the largest Lyapunov exponent becomes positive and the situation turns out to be unstable. Confirmation comes from a functional analysis of the stable and unstable manifolds which touch at=0.89.     

New cw fir laser emissions from CO2 laser-pumped vinyl bromide

47 new cw far-infrared laser lines with wavelenths between 453 and 2356 m have been obtained by optically pumping vinyl bromide (C₂H₃Br) by a CO₂ laser. A significant portion of these lines has wavelengths longer than 750 m.