DEVELOPMENT OF PRECISION WAVELENGTH STANDARDS FOR URANIUM ATOMIC VAPOR LASER ISOTOPE SEPARATION

PRECISION WAVELENGTH STANDARDS IN THE RANGE 500 TO 700 NM ARE REQUIRED BY DOE FOR THE URANIUM-ATOMIC VAPOR ISOTOPE SEPARATION (U-AVILS) PROGRAM. THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DIODE-LASER PUMPED, SOLID STATE LASER SYSTEM IS PLANNED TO MEET THE PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS. IT INVOLVES INTRACAVITY SUM FREQUENCY MIXING IN A TUNABLE LASER (EITHER CR:LISRAIF6 OR TI:AI2O3), WITH A SECOND SOURCE AT 1540NM. THE LATTER WOULD BE A SINGLE-FREQUENCY INGAASP DEVICE AMPLIFIED BY A DIODE-LASER-PUMPED, ERBIUM-DOPED FIBER AMPLIFIER. THE SAME TECHNOLOGY WOULD HAVE IMMEDIATE APPLICATION TO POLLUTION MONITORING SYSTEMS (CURRENTLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT) AS WELL AS MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC APPLICATIONS. THE IMMEDIATE GOAL OF PHASE I IS TO EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF THE PLANNED SYSTEM AND TO GENERATE A DETAILED POINT DESIGN FOR CONSTRUCTION IN PHASE II. EXPERIMENTAL WORK ON THE PHASE I PROJECT INCLUDES THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SINGLE-FREQUENCY CR:LISRA1F6 RING LASER PUMPED BY A PAIR OF INGAA1P DIODE LASERS, AND THE DEMONSTRATION OF INTRACAVITY SUM FREQUENCY MIXING USING A KTIOPO4 CRYSTAL.