Characteristics of a pulse–periodic CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> laser for applications in the field of laser-produced plasma

The design of a pulse–periodic СО₂ laser oscillator that operates at a high level of the specific energy deposition into a self-sustained discharge is described. The laser is intended for generating pulses with a high-density radiation flux in a laser-plasma generator of multiply charged ions at the Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics (ITEP). The results of investigations of the spatiotemporal and energy characteristics of laser output radiation in a wide range of the discharge excitation level and the mixture composition are presented. The optimal conditions are determined under which the oscillator provides an output energy of >10 J in a pulse with a duration of ~28 ns and a record specific peak radiation power of 190 MW per liter of the active volume of a CO₂: N₂: He mixture. The high quality of the spatial characteristics was confirmed in measurements of the radial energy-density distribution in the far-field zone, whose characteristic size is close to the diffraction limit.     

Single-Frequency TEA CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Laser for Experiments on Non-Resonant Radiation Interaction with Matter

The design philosophy and output radiation parameters of single frequency TEA CO₂ laser with bleaching intracavity longitudinal modes selector (cell filled with SF₆) are described. At cavity tuning to 10P(16) line and choosing optimum SF₆ pressure in the cell the stable single frequency lasing is realized with scatter of radiation peak power in a series of “shots” less than ±7% of average value. The radiation energy density and intensity gradually tuned in the ranges 0.36–12.5 J/cm² and 2.9–100 MW/cm² correspondingly were realized in the focal plane of a lens with f = 127 mm.     

Reducing the Energy Consumption of a Laser Photo-Acoustic SF<Subscript>6</Subscript> Gas Analyzer

Experimental studies of the operating modes of a laser photo-acoustic SF₆ gas analyzer that were aimed at reducing its energy consumption were carried out. It was shown in the experiments that an average power of CO₂ laser radiation of at least 100 mW is required for the assured detection of low SF₆ concentrations (less than 100 ppb). To reduce the energy consumption of the gas analyzer, it is proposed to decrease the repetition frequency of CO₂ laser pulses by several times and operate on subharmonics of the resonance frequency of the photo-acoustic detector. The experimental results made it possible to reduce the energy consumption of the gas analyzer to ~15 V A and use a Li-ion battery from a laptop to power it. The duration of the continuous operation of the gas analyzer on one battery charge was at least 6 h.     

Development and research of a laser photo-acoustic SF<Subscript>6</Subscript> gas analyzer

An analysis of various optical schemes for the development of a laser SF₆ gas analyzer based on a CO₂ laser operating in free-running mode and a resonant photo-acoustic detector (PAD) is presented. The use of a sealed gas-filled cell to normalize PAD signals on the absorbed power in the cell is suggested. Compensation for the influence of the tuning of the CO₂ laser wavelength near 10.6 μm on measured SF₆ concentration is possible. The results of experimental studies of a laser photo-acoustic SF₆ gas analyzer at various concentrations, including in the air flow, are presented. It is shown experimentally that the relative measurement error of the SF₆ concentration due to the instability of the laser radiation wavelength does not exceed 5% in the range from ~80 ppb to 40 ppm. The limit of the sensitivity of the developed gas analyzer was ~1 ppb SF₆.     

Registration of picosecond CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> laser pulses by means of two-stage parametric transformation in nonlinear crystals

A technique for registering the temporal structure of picosecond pulses of CO₂ laser radiation with an energy of 1.5–4.5 μJ at a wavelength of 10.27 μm using two-stage parametric transformation of IR radiation frequency into visible light under pumping of nonlinear crystals by Nd:YAG-laser radiation in a Q-switched mode is described. A GaSe nonlinear crystal was used at the first stage of transformation (10.27 μm + 1.064 μm → 0.964 μm). Radiation was further transformed (1.064 μm + 0.960 μm → 0.506 μm) by using the same pumping in an α-HIO₃ nonlinear crystal. For the first time, no additional optical elements were present between the stages of the frequency transformer in the proposed optical scheme. The transformed radiation was registered with a Hamamatsu Temporal Disperser C1587 streak camera in a region of the photocathode maximum spectral sensitivity of ～0.5 μm with a temporal resolution of up to 2 ps. The minimum recorded pulse duration of the CO₂ laser was ～45 ps.     

Multichannel control system for an acousto-optical modulator of laser radiation based on direct digital synthesis of frequencies

A module of control of an acousto-optical modulator of laser radiation in a multifrequency mode on the basis of a multichannel synthesizer with direct digital synthesis of frequencies is described. Specific features of system operation during multichannel laser recording with controlled amplitude, phase, and frequency of the channels with automatic calibration of intensity in each channel are considered. Application of the system in a photoplotter for producing photomasks of printed circuit boards makes it possible to increase the resolution of the device and to improve stability and reproducibility of recording.     

POWER RADIO FREQUENCY CIRCUIT DESIGN FOR A SMALL CO2 SLAB WAVEGUIDE LASER

The design, construction, and test of a radio frequency oscillator-amplifier is presented in this paper. The RF circuit is inserted as part of the electrodes of an in-house-built compact CO₂ waveguide laser. Our circuit was designed to have a frequency at 81 MHz and its signal output between 90 W and 150 W. Capacitive discharge is evaluated over a period of time and, after a correct positioning of several inductors parallel-distributed along the laser electrodes, a steady and uniform plasma discharge was created. The overall RF circuit-laser test is done with a typical gas mixture of CO₂-N₂-He with proportion of 1:1:3, correspondingly, and at a final pressure of 40 Torr. Under these conditions, a maximum optical output power greater than 10.7 W was obtained for an input feed RF power of 147 W.     

Design and test of miniaturized glass ceramics HeNe laser with frequency and intensity simultaneously stabilized

A miniaturized HeNe laser with intensity and frequency simultaneously stabilized is described. The laser uses a monoblock glass ceramics as its tube to construct an improved steady structure. The closed loop cavity length control system stabilizes its frequency and the discharge current regulating system stabilizes its intensity. The electronic system integrating power supply and stabilization system is designed within two small circuit boards. The laser tube and circuit boards are assembled into a small package with dimensions of 180?mm×100?mm×150?mm. The laser outputs s-polarized light at wavelength of 632.99 nm with power of 0.44 mW. Test results show that its frequency stability can reach 8.4×10(-11) (1s Allan variance over 3 h) and frequency reproducibility at 1.3×10(-8). The laser's intensity stability is 0.011% over 9 h.     

An oscillator circuit to produce a radio-frequency discharge and application to metastable helium saturated absorption spectroscopy

We present a rf gas discharge apparatus which provides an atomic frequency reference for laser manipulation of metastable helium. We discuss the biasing and operation of a Colpitts oscillator in which the discharge coil is part of the oscillator circuit. Radiofrequency radiation is reduced by placing the entire oscillator in a metal enclosure.     

A disk RF-excited CO2 laser

The design and performance characteristics of a CO₂ laser with radio frequency discharge excitation and a radiator in the form of a flat disk are described. A hybrid unstable-stable resonator is used in the laser.     

Data recording system of a dispersion interferometer based on a CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> laser

The data recording system of a multichannel double-pass dispersion interferometer based on a CO₂ laser is described. This system has been designed to record the linear density of plasmas in a real-time mode with a time discreteness of 4 μs and resolution 〈N _e L〉 ～ 0.34 × 10¹³ cm^?2 (N _e is the electron component of the plasma density, and L is the plasma size in the wave propagation direction) in the range of linear density variations of up to 10¹⁷ cm^?2. The system is built from unified recording modules that use fast ADCs to record the shape of photodetector and modulator signals and FPGA-based digital units of dataflow processing to form results of measurements. The single-channel recording module of the dispersion interferometer has been tested under actual experimental conditions of the GDL gas-dynamic trap and the TEXTOR tokamak (Julich, Germany).     

A Dispersion Interferometer Based on a CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Laser

A double-pass dispersion interferometer based on a 9.6-μm CO₂ laser with a sensitivity of 〈 n _e l〉_min ∼ 1 × 10¹³ cm⁻² and a temporal resolution of ∼50 μ s, designed to measure linear plasma density, is described. A ZnGeP₂ nonlinear crystal is used as the frequency doubler. The main advantages of the interferometer are its compactness and a low sensitivity to vibrations of optical elements. The interferometer requires no special vibration isolation. Its main components are arranged compactly on an optical bench outside the apparatus, except for a window for radiation injection and a retroreflector; these are mounted on the wall of the experimental facility's vacuum chamber. The advantages of the dispersion interferometer have been demonstrated in an experiment with a gas-dynamic trap. __________ Translated from Pribory i Tekhnika Eksperimenta, No. 5, 2005, pp. 96–106. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2005 by Solomakhin, Bagryanskii, Voskoboinikov, Zubarev, Kvashnin, Lizunov, Maksimov, Khil'chenko.     

A facility for studying the spatial and temporal characteristics of a plume produced by interaction of high-power CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> laser pulses with a solid-state target in various gas environments

An experimental facility for studying the kinetics of molecular association formation from atoms produced by evaporation of the target material by powerful CO₂ laser pulses is described. First experimental results are presented for the spectral and spatial-temporal characteristics of the spread of Al atoms produced in interactions of laser radiation with aluminum oxide Al₂O₃, followed by AlO formation in various low-pressure (0.1–0.3 Torr) atmospheres. Images of structurally similar forms condensed on a glass surface have been observed with an atomic-force microscope.     

A neutron semiconductor detector based on TIInSe<Subscript>2</Subscript>

A new semiconductor detector of neutron radiation based on a TIInSe₂ crystal has been investigated. The detector is produced from a homogeneous semiconductor sample with two electric contacts and operates in an integrating mode. It is shown that, owing to its high sensitivity (～10^?13 A/(neutron cm^?2 s^?1)) and small size (the volume of the sensitive crystal element is ～7 mm³), the detector is capable of monitoring spatial, time, and intensity distributions of γ rays and neutrons in pulse research reactors.     

脉冲激光眼科治疗仪控制器设计

文章介绍了医用眼科激光治疗仪控制器的设计。采用半导体泵浦Nd:YAG激光器,激光器有脉冲、连续两种工作方式。工作于脉冲方式时,单片机定时器产生脉冲控制激光器的工作频率;控制器使用数模转换器产生电压信号,驱动功率控制模块来控制激光器的功率;使用彩色触控液晶模组设计人机界面,通过触控屏来选择工作方式和设置工作参数;对关键电路进行了分析说明,给出了程序设计流程图。     

激光二级管泵浦KTP腔内和频激光器及噪声特性的分析

给出了采用了激光二极管泵浦Nd:YVO₄晶体产生1064nm与1342nm双谱线振荡的实验研究,通过KTP晶体II类相位匹配腔内和频产生输出波长为593.5nm的橙黄色激光的实验.在不同泵浦功率下,测量和分析了该激光器的噪声特性.根据和频激光器输出的纵模结构测量结果与和频光耦合波方程,研究了和频激光器的噪声与参与和频的基频光纵模之间的关系.结果表明:对于激光二极管泵浦Nd:YVO₄激光晶体,KTPII类位相匹配腔内和频激光器,如参与和频的2个波长中有一个波长为单纵模工作,尽管和频光输出为多个纵模,该激光器的输出仍为低噪声状态.如参与和频的2个波长全为多纵模,和频光输出为高噪声状态.在腔内和频过程中,虽然没有倍频过程中的和频引起模式竞争,但参与和频2个基频光的不同模式间的交叉和频和同一波长的不同模式间的增益饱和,也产生了与绿光问题类似的输出噪声和不稳定状态,但噪声特性要好于同类的腔内倍频激光器.     

A Raman Spectroscopic Study of MoS<Subscript>2</Subscript> and MoO<Subscript>3</Subscript>: Applications to Tribological Systems

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) and molybdenum trioxide are investigated using Raman spectroscopy with emphasis on the application to tribological systems. The Raman vibrational modes were investigated for excitation wavelengths at 632.8 and 488 nm using both micro-crystalline MoS₂ powder and natural MoS₂ crystals. Differences are noted in the Raman spectra for these two different wavelengths, which are attributed to resonance effects due to overlap of the 632.8 nm source with electronic absorption bands. In addition, significant laser intensity effects are found that result in laser-induced transformation of MoS₂ to MoO₃. Finally, the transformation to molybdenum trioxide is explored as a function of temperature and atmosphere, revealing an apparent transformation at 375 K in the presence of oxygen. Overall, Raman spectroscopy is an useful tool for tribological study of MoS₂ coatings, including the role of molybdenum trioxide transformations, although careful attention must be given to the laser excitation parameters (both wavelength and intensity) when interpreting Raman spectra.     

Energy dependence of the relative light output of YAlO<Subscript>3</Subscript>:Ce,Y<Subscript>2</Subscript>SiO<Subscript>5</Subscript>:Ce,and YPO<Subscript>4</Subscript>:Ce scintillators

The nonlinear dependence of the relative light output on the energy deposited in single-crystal scintillation materials YAlO₃:Ce (YAP:Ce), Y₂SiO₅:Ce (YSO:Ce), and YPO₄:Ce (YPO:Ce) has been studied. The investigations have been conducted under quasi-monochromatic X-ray excitation in the energy range of 9.5–100 keV. In addition to the standard technique for measuring the nonproportional scintillator response based on the dependence of the full-energy peak position on the energy of incident radiation, a method is proposed for measuring the light output by X-ray fluorescence peaks. Using this method for YAP:Ce, it is possible to investigate the nonlinear dependence of the light output on the photon energy in the energy range of 2–40 keV. Along with this method, the K-dip spectroscopy method has been proposed and tested by measuring the dependence of the relative light output on the electron energy in the range of 0.1–80.0 keV. The processes resulting in the loss of the scintillation material efficiency at a high ionization density are considered.     

高测速双纵模双频激光干涉仪系统的研究

以合适频率的高稳定度电子振荡器信号分别与双纵模热稳频双频激光干涉仪输出的频率过高的测量和参考信号混频,将信号载波频率降至计数器允许频率范围内,得到全交流的高测速双纵模双频激光干涉仪系统。本文给出了高测速双纵模双频激光干涉仪系统光路框图和信号处理框图,并给出了振荡器频率选择的基本公式。所研制系统纵模间隔约728MHz,计数器选用最大允许计数频率10MHz的82c54,振荡器为频率为723MHz的JE0723型介质振荡器。在3m激光测长机上的实验证实:系统分辨率为0.32μm时,最大允许测量速度可达1300mm/s,能满足各种高速运动设备的检测及标定需求。