EFFICIENT COMPACT AND TUNEABLE MICROWAVE-DRIVEN UV SOLID-STATE LASERS

THIS PROJECT WILL ENCOMPASS THE DESIGN OF A COMPACT FIELD WORTHY ULTRAVIOLET LASER WITH A WEIGHT LESS THAN 100 LBS., A VOLUME LESS THAN 2 CU. FT., AND A PULSED ENERGY OUTPUT GREATER THAN 25 MJ. THE THE LASER WILL USE A NEW BREAKTHROUGH IN FLASHLAMP TECHNOLOGY WHICH CAN PROVIDE THE POWER NECESSARY TO DEVELOP A UV, POTENTIALLY TUNEABLE, FREQUENCY TRIPLED SOLID-STATE LASER. THIS LASER CONCEPT IS CAPABLE OF STEADY-STATE OPERATION AND CAN ACHIEVE 10-20 NS PULSES WITH NODE LOCKING TECHNIQUES AND WILL OPERATE AT 100 HZ OR BETTER. THE FLASHLAMP WILL USE MICROWAVE PUMPED FLUORESCERS WHICH HAVE PROPERTIES THAT ARE VERY COMPETITIVE WITH SEMICONDUCTOR PUMPING TECHNOLOGIES BUT ALSO HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OF OFFERING A BROAD RANGE OF PUMP FREQUENCIES. THESE FLUORESCER SOURCES CAN BE USED TO PUMP SEVERAL TYPES OF SOLID-STATE LASER MATERIALS INCLUDING SOME TUNEABLE MEDIA (E.G., GADOLINIUM SCANDIUM GALLIUM GARNET (GDSCGA-GARNET), TITANIUM-APPHIRE (TI:AL2O3) AND ALEXANDRITE (BEAL2O4)). FOR EXAMPLE, FLASHLAMP DRIVEN TI:AL2O3 HAS DEMONSTRATED W1 EMISSION FROM 720 TO 920 MN AND THERE ARE ONGOING RESEARCH EFFORTS TO FREQUENCY DOUBLE AND TRIPLE TITANIUM-SAPPHIRE (W2 EMISSION FROM 360 TO 460 NM, AND W3 EMISSION FROM 240 TO 306.7 NM).