AN ALL-SOLID-STATE TITANIUM-DOPED SAPPHIRE LASER SOURCE FOR PRODUCTION OF POLARIZED ELECTRONS

BEAMS OF POLARIZED ELECTRONS ARE REQUIRED FOR NUCLEAR AND HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS EXPERIMENTATION, SUCH AS FOR THE PRODUCTION AND STUDY OF THE Z DEGREES BOSON. POLARIZED ELECTRONS CAN BE GENERATED BY ILLUMINATING SPECIALLY PREPARED GALLIUM ARSENIDE WITH LIGHT OF WAVELENGTH AROUND 780NM. THE RESEARCH IN THIS PHASE I PROGRAM WILL INVESTIGATE THE PRODUCTION OF 780NM LIGHT FROM A TITANIUM-DOPED SAPPHIRE LASER. THE TITANIUM: SAPPHIRE LASER WILL BE OPTICALLY PUMPED BY THE FREQUENCY-DOUBLED OUTPUT OF A NEODYMIUM DOPED YTTRIUM LITHIUM FLUORIDE LASER WHICH IS PUMPED BY A DIODE LASER ARRAY. THIS ALL-SOLID-STATE LASER SYSTEM WOULD BE COMPACT, EFFICIENT, LONG-LIVED AND RELIABLE. THESE CHARACTERISTICS WILL MAKE THIS LASER A COST EFFECTIVE, SUPERIOR REPLACEMENT FOR DYE LASERS PRESENTLY USED FOR THE PRODUCTION OF POLARIZED ELECTRONS.