PHYSICAL EFFECTS OCCURRING DURING GENERATION AND AMPLIFICATION OF LASER RADIATION: Discharge energy balance in the nitrogen-containing active medium of an electron-beam-controlled CO laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dolinina, V. I.; Koterov, V. N.; Pyatakhin, Mikhail V.; Urin, B. M.

1989-02-01

Numerical methods were used to investigate theoretically the dynamics of the energy balance of a discharge in a CO-N2 mixture, taking into account the mutual influence of the distributions of the electron energy and of the populations of the molecules over the vibrational levels. It was shown that this influence plays a decisive part in substantially redistributing the pump energy between the vibrational levels of the CO and N2 molecules in favor of the N2 molecules. A stabilizing action of the nitrogen on the thermal regime of the CO laser-active medium was discovered and the range of optimal CO:N2 ratios was determined.

Laser interferometric studies of thermal effects of diode-pumped solid state lasing medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Xiaoyuan; Asundi, Anand K.; Xu, Lei; Chen, Yihong; Xiong, Zhengjun; Lim, Gnian Cher

2000-04-01

Thermal effects dramatically influence the laser performance of diode-pumped solid state lasers (DPSSL). There are three factors accounting for thermal effects in diode-pumped laser medium: the change of the refractive index due to temperature gradient, the change of the refractive index due to thermal stress, and the change of the physical length due to thermal expansion (end effect), in which the first two effects can be called as thermal parts. A laser interferometer is proposed to measure both the bulk and physical messages of solid-state lasing medium. There are two advantages of the laser interferometry to determine the thermal lensing effect. One is that it allows separating the average thermal lens into thermal parts and end effect. Another is that the laser interferometry provides a non- invasive, full field, high-resolution means of diagnosing such effects by measuring the optical path difference induced by thermal loading in a lasing crystal reliable without disturbing the normal working conditions of the DPSS laser. Relevant measurement results are presented in this paper.

Analytical solution of the transient temperature profile in gain medium of passively Q-switched microchip laser.

PubMed

Han, Xiahui; Li, Jianlang

2014-11-01

The transient temperature evolution in the gain medium of a continuous wave (CW) end-pumped passively Q-switched microchip (PQSM) laser is analyzed. By approximating the time-dependent population inversion density as a sawtooth function of time and treating the time-dependent pump absorption of a CW end-pumped PQSM laser as the superposition of an infinite series of short pumping pulses, the analytical expressions of transient temperature evolution and distribution in the gain medium for four- and three-level laser systems, respectively, are given. These analytical solutions are applied to evaluate the transient temperature evolution and distribution in the gain medium of CW end-pumped PQSM Nd:YAG and Yb:YAG lasers.

High-average-power laser medium based on silica glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujimoto, Yasushi; Nakatsuka, Masahiro

2000-01-01

Silica glass is one of the most attractive materials for a high-average-power laser. We have developed a new laser material base don silica glass with zeolite method which is effective for uniform dispersion of rare earth ions in silica glass. High quality medium, which is bubbleless and quite low refractive index distortion, must be required for realization of laser action. As the main reason of bubbling is due to hydroxy species remained in the gelation same, we carefully choose colloidal silica particles, pH value of hydrochloric acid for hydrolysis of tetraethylorthosilicate on sol-gel process, and temperature and atmosphere control during sintering process, and then we get a bubble less transparent rare earth doped silica glass. The refractive index distortion of the sample also discussed.

Frequency stabilization of multiple lasers on a single medium-finesse cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Chengyin; Zhou, Min; Gao, Qi; Li, Shangyan; Zhang, Shuang; Qiao, Hao; Ai, Di; Zhang, Mengya; Lou, Ge; Luo, Limeng; Xu, Xinye

2018-04-01

We present a simple, compact, and robust frequency stabilization system of three lasers operating at 649, 759, and 770 nm, respectively. These lasers are applied in experiments on ytterbium optical lattice clocks, for which each laser needs to have a linewidth of a few hundred or tens of kilohertz while maintaining a favorable long-term stability. Here, a single medium-finesse cavity is adopted as the frequency reference and the standard Pound-Drever-Hall technique is used to stabilize the laser frequencies. Based on the independent phase modulation, multiple-laser locking is demonstrated without mutual intervention. The locked lasers are measured to have a linewidth of 100 kHz and the residual frequency drift is about 78.5 Hz s-1. This kind of setup provides a construction that is much simpler than that in previous work.

The study of the structural stability of the spiral laser beams propagation through inhomogeneous phase medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zinchik, Alexander A.; Muzychenko, Yana B.

2015-06-01

This paper discusses theoretical and experimental results of the investigation of light beams that retain their intensity structure during propagation and focusing. Spiral laser beams are a family of laser beams that preserve the structural stability up to scale and rotation with the propagation. Properties of spiral beams are of practical interest for laser technology, medicine and biotechnology. Researchers use a spiral beams for movement and manipulation of microparticles. Functionality laser manipulators can be significantly enhanced by using spiral beams whose intensity remains invariable. It is well known, that these beams has non-zero orbital angular momentum. Spiral beams have a complicated phase distribution in cross section. In this paper we investigate the structural stability of the laser beams having a spiral phase structure by passing them through an inhomogeneous phase medium. Laser beam is passed through a medium is characterized by a random distribution of phase in the range 0..2π. The modeling was performed using VirtualLab 5.0 (manufacturer LightTrans GmbH). Compared the intensity distribution of the spiral and ordinary laser beam after the passage of the inhomogeneous medium. It is shown that the spiral beams exhibit a significantly better structural stability during the passage phase heterogeneous environments than conventional laser beams. The results obtained in the simulation are tested experimentally. Experimental results show good agreement with the theoretical results.

Actively Q-switched laser with novel Nd:YAG/YAG polygonal active-mirror

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Ye; Chen, Yanzhong; Ge, Wenqi; He, Jianguo; Zhang, Hongbo; Liao, Lifen; Xin, Jianguo; Zhang, Jian; Fan, Zhongwei

2018-03-01

In this work, we demonstrate an efficient actively Q-switched laser based on a novel crystal Nd:YAG/YAG polygonal active mirror. A passively cooled crystal Nd:YAG/YAG polygonal active mirror with an end pump scheme was used as the gain medium. For the overlap between the TEM00 laser mode and large gain profile, a cavity was carefully designed with a large fundamental mode volume. With a maximum absorbed power of 3.1 W, a 685 mW average output power with a pulse repetition of 5 kHz was attained, and the corresponding optical-optical and slope efficiency were 22.1% and 27.7%, respectively. The pulse width was 133.9 ns. The beam quality (M 2) was 1.561 in the horizontal direction and 1.261 in the vertical direction.

Optimization of end-pumped, actively Q-switched quasi-III-level lasers.

PubMed

Jabczynski, Jan K; Gorajek, Lukasz; Kwiatkowski, Jacek; Kaskow, Mateusz; Zendzian, Waldemar

2011-08-15

The new model of end-pumped quasi-III-level laser considering transient pumping processes, ground-state-depletion and up-conversion effects was developed. The model consists of two parts: pumping stage and Q-switched part, which can be separated in a case of active Q-switching regime. For pumping stage the semi-analytical model was developed, enabling the calculations for final occupation of upper laser level for given pump power and duration, spatial profile of pump beam, length and dopant level of gain medium. For quasi-stationary inversion, the optimization procedure of Q-switching regime based on Lagrange multiplier technique was developed. The new approach for optimization of CW regime of quasi-three-level lasers was developed to optimize the Q-switched lasers operating with high repetition rates. Both methods of optimizations enable calculation of optimal absorbance of gain medium and output losses for given pump rate. © 2011 Optical Society of America

RESONATORS. MODES: Modes of a plano - spherical laser resonator with the Gaussian gain distribution of the active medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malyutin, A. A.

2007-03-01

Modes of a laser with plano-spherical degenerate and nondegenerate resonators are calculated upon diode pumping producing the Gaussian gain distribution in the active medium. Axially symmetric and off-axis pumpings are considered. It is shown that in the first case the lowest Hermite-Gaussian mode is excited with the largest weight both in the degenerate and nondegenerate resonator if the pump level is sufficiently high or the characteristic size wg of the amplifying region greatly exceeds the mode radius w0. The high-order Ince-Gaussian modes are excited upon weak off-axis pumping in the nondegenerate resonator both in the absence and presence of the symmetry of the gain distribution with respect to the resonator axis. It is found that when the level of off-axis symmetric pumping of the resonator is high enough, modes with the parameters of the TEM00 mode periodically propagating over a closed path in the resonator can exist. The explanation of this effect is given.

Amplification and gas-dynamic parameters of the active oxygen-iodine medium produced by an ejector nozzle unit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zagidullin, M V; Nikolaev, V D; Svistun, M I

2001-08-31

The gain, the temperature, and the absolute velocity of the supersonic active oxygen-iodine medium produced by an ejector nozzle unit were determined by the technique of high-resolution diode laser spectroscopy. The gain in the active medium is formed at less than 44 mm from the nozzle unit for an absolute flow velocity {nu} {approx} 600 m s{sup -1}. Upon dilution of oxygen by primary nitrogen in the ratio of 1 : 6.9, the gain of the active medium amounts to 7x10{sup -3} cm{sup -1}, the temperature of the active medium to 200 K, the absolute flow velocity to 580 mmore » s{sup -1}, and the pressure to 58 Torr. As the dilution is increased to 1 : 13.5, the gain reduces to 4.5x10{sup -3} cm{sup -1}, the temperature lowers to 180 K, the velocity of the active medium increases to 615 m s{sup -1}, and the pressure increases to 88 Torr. The increase in the initial content of water vapour in the oxygen flow results in an increase in the temperature and a decrease in the gain of the active medium. (active media)« less

Stabilization of the composition of the gas medium of a repetitively pulsed CO2 laser by means of hopcalite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baranov, V. Iu.; Drokov, G. F.; Kuzmenko, V. A.; Mezhevov, V. S.; Pigulskaia, V. V.

1986-05-01

Results of experiments in which hopcalite was used to stabilize the composition of the gas medium of repetitively pulsed and monopulse CO2 lasers are reported. In particular, the mechanisms of the decrease in the catalyst activity with time under conditions for catalyst regeneration are determined. It is shown that the use of hopcalite has made it possible to achieve long-term operation of a high-power repetitively pulsed CO2 laser without changing the gas mixture in a closed circuit. Some details related to the use of hopcalite are discussed.

Laser Radiation in Active Amplifying Media Treated as a Transport Problem - Transfer Equation Derived and Exactly Solved

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das Gupta, Santanu; Das Gupta, S. R.

1991-10-01

The flow of laser radiation in a plane-parallel cylindrical slab of active amplifying medium with axial symmetry is treated as a problem in radiative transfer. The appropriate one-dimensional transfer equation describing the transfer of laser radiation has been derived by an appeal to Einstein'sA, B coefficients (describing the processes of stimulated line absorption, spontaneous line emission, and stimulated line emission sustained by population inversion in the medium) and considering the ‘rate equations’ to completely establish the rational of the transfer equation obtained. The equation is then exactly solved and the angular distribution of the emergent laser beam intensity is obtained; its numerically computed values are given in tables and plotted in graphs showing the nature of peaks of the emerging laser beam intensity about the axis of the laser cylinder.

Laser radiation in active amplifying media treated as a transport problem - Transfer equation derived and exactly solved

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, S. R. D.; Gupta, Santanu D.

1991-10-01

The flow of laser radiation in a plane-parallel cylindrical slab of active amplifying medium with axial symmetry is treated as a problem in radiative transfer. The appropriate one-dimensional transfer equation describing the transfer of laser radiation has been derived by an appeal to Einstein's A, B coefficients (describing the processes of stimulated line absorption, spontaneous line emission, and stimulated line emission sustained by population inversion in the medium) and considering the 'rate equations' to completely establish the rational of the transfer equation obtained. The equation is then exactly solved and the angular distribution of the emergent laser beam intensity is obtained; its numerically computed values are given in tables and plotted in graphs showing the nature of peaks of the emerging laser beam intensity about the axis of the laser cylinder.

Laser utilizing a gaseous lasing medium and method for operating the same

DOEpatents

Zerr, Bruce A.

1986-01-01

The invention relates to an improvement in gas lasers and a method of operating the same. In one aspect, the invention is an improved method for operating a high-power gas laser. The improvement comprises introducing the gas lasing medium tangentially to the laser tube at a pressure establishing a forced vortex in the tube. The vortex defines an axially extending core region characterized by a low pressure and temperature relative to the gas inlet and the exterior of the vortex. An electrical discharge is established in the core region to initiate lasing of the gas. The gas discharge from the tube is passed through a diffuser. As in conventional gas lasers, firing results in a very abrupt increase in gas temperature and in severe disruption of the gas. However, the gas vortex almost immediately restores the gas to its pre-firing condition. That is, almost all of the waste heat is transferred radially to the laser wall, and the original gas-flow pattern is restored. As a result, the power output of the laser is increased significantly, and the laser firing repetition rate is markedly increased.

Laser utilizing a gaseous lasing medium and method for operating the same

DOEpatents

Zerr, B.A.

1983-10-18

The invention relates to an improvement in gas lasers and a method of operating the same. In one aspect, the invention is an improved method for operating a high-power gas laser. The improvement comprises introducing the gas lasing medium tangentially to the laser tube at a pressure establishing a forced vortex in the tube. The vortex defines an axially extending core region characterized by a low pressure and temperature relative to the gas inlet and the exterior of the vortex. An electrical discharge is established in the core region to initiate lasing of the gas. The gas discharge from the tube is passed through a diffuser. As in conventional gas lasers, firing results in a very abrupt increase in gas temperature and in severe disruption of the gas. However, the gas vortex, almost immediately restores the gas to its prefiring condition. That is, almost all of the waste heat is transferred radially to the laser wall, and the original gas-flow pattern is restored. As a result, the power output of the laser is increased significantly, and the laser firing repetition rate is markedly increased.

Nanoparticles generated by laser in liquids as contrast medium and radiotherapy intensifiers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Restuccia, Nancy; Torrisi, Lorenzo

2018-01-01

The synthesis of Au and Ag nanoparticles (NP) though laser ablation in liquids as a function the laser parameters is presented. Spherical NPs with diameter distribution within 1 and 100 nm were prepared by laser ablation in water. The nanoparticles characterization was performed using optical spectroscopy and electronic microscopy (SEM and TEM) measurements. Studies of the possible use of metallic nanoparticles as intensifier of diagnostics imaging contrast medium and absorbing dose from ionizing radiations in traditional radiotherapy and protontherapy are presented. Examples of in vitro (in tissue equivalent materials) and in vivo (in mice), were conducted thank to simulation programs permitting to evaluate the enhancement of efficiency in imaging and therapy as a function of the NPs concentrations and irradiation conditions.

REVIEW: Excited states in the active media of oxygen — iodine lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azyazov, V. N.

2009-11-01

A review of investigations of kinetic processes in active media oxygen — iodine lasers (OILs) performed in the last decade is presented. The mechanisms of pumping and quenching of electronically and vibrationally excited O2 and I2 molecules are considered, and dissociation mechanisms of I2 in the active medium of the OIL are analysed. The values of kinetic constants of processes proceeding in the active media of OILs are recommended.

Enhanced harmonic emission from a polar molecule medium driven by few-cycle laser pulses.

PubMed

Zhang, Chaojin; Yao, Jinping; Ni, Jielei; Umran, Fadhil A

2012-11-19

We investigate theoretically the enhancement of the low-order harmonic emission from a polar molecular medium. The results show that, by using a control laser field, the intensity of the spectral signals near fourth-order harmonics will increase over 25 times as a result of the four-wave mixing process. Moreover, the enhancement effects depend strongly on the carrier-envelope phase of the initial laser fields, which cannot be found in a symmetric system.

High energy bursts from a solid state laser operated in the heat capacity limited regime

DOEpatents

Albrecht, G.; George, E.V.; Krupke, W.F.; Sooy, W.; Sutton, S.B.

1996-06-11

High energy bursts are produced from a solid state laser operated in a heat capacity limited regime. Instead of cooling the laser, the active medium is thermally well isolated. As a result, the active medium will heat up until it reaches some maximum acceptable temperature. The waste heat is stored in the active medium itself. Therefore, the amount of energy the laser can put out during operation is proportional to its mass, the heat capacity of the active medium, and the temperature difference over which it is being operated. The high energy burst capacity of a heat capacity operated solid state laser, together with the absence of a heavy, power consuming steady state cooling system for the active medium, will make a variety of applications possible. Alternately, cooling takes place during a separate sequence when the laser is not operating. Industrial applications include new material working processes. 5 figs.

High energy bursts from a solid state laser operated in the heat capacity limited regime

DOEpatents

Albrecht, Georg; George, E. Victor; Krupke, William F.; Sooy, Walter; Sutton, Steven B.

1996-01-01

High energy bursts are produced from a solid state laser operated in a heat capacity limited regime. Instead of cooling the laser, the active medium is thermally well isolated. As a result, the active medium will heat up until it reaches some maximum acceptable temperature. The waste heat is stored in the active medium itself. Therefore, the amount of energy the laser can put out during operation is proportional to its mass, the heat capacity of the active medium, and the temperature difference over which it is being operated. The high energy burst capacity of a heat capacity operated solid state laser, together with the absence of a heavy, power consuming steady state cooling system for the active medium, will make a variety of applications possible. Alternately, cooling takes place during a separate sequence when the laser is not operating. Industrial applications include new material working processes.

Active Q switching of a fiber laser with a microsphere resonator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kieu, Khanh; Mansuripur, Masud

2006-12-01

We propose and demonstrate an active Q-switched fiber laser using a high-Q microsphere resonator as the Q-switching element. The laser cavity consists of an Er-doped fiber as the gain medium, a glass microsphere reflector (coupled through a fiber taper) at one end of the cavity, and a fiber Bragg grating reflector at the other end. The reflectivity of the microsphere is modulated by changing the gap between the microsphere and the fiber taper. Active Q switching is realized by oscillating the microsphere in and out of contact with the taper. Using this novel technique, we have obtained giant pulses (maximum peak power ˜102W, duration ˜160ns) at a low pump-power threshold (˜3mW).

Investigation on efficiency declines due to spectral overlap between LDAs pump and laser medium in high power double face pumped slab laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Ye; Chen, Yanzhong; Liao, Lifen; Guo, Guangyan; He, Jianguo; Fan, Zhongwei

2018-03-01

In high power diode lasers, the input cooling water temperature would affect both output power and output spectrum. In double face pumped slab laser, the spectrum of two laser diode arrays (LDAs) must be optimized for efficiency reason. The spectrum mismatch of two LDAs would result in energy storing decline. In this work, thermal induced efficiency decline due to spectral overlap between high power LDAs and laser medium was investigated. A numerical model was developed to describe the energy storing variation with changing LDAs cooling water temperature and configuration (series/parallel connected). A confirmatory experiment was conducted using a double face pumped slab module. The experiment results show good agreements with simulations.

CuInGaSe{sub 2} nanoparticles by pulsed laser ablation in liquid medium

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mendivil, M.I.; García, L.V.; Krishnan, B.

2015-12-15

Highlights: • CIGS nanocolloids were synthesized using PLAL technique. • Characterized their morphology, structure, composition and optical properties. • Morphologies were dependent on ablation wavelength and liquid medium. • Optical absorption and bandgap of these nanocolloids were tunable. - Abstract: Pulsed laser ablation in liquid medium (PLALM) is a nanofabrication technique to produce complex nanostructures. CuInGaSe{sub 2} (CIGS) is an alloy with applications in photovoltaic industry. In this work, we studied the effects of laser ablation wavelength, energy fluence and liquid medium on the properties of the CIGS nanoparticles synthesized by PLALM. The nanoparticles obtained were analyzed by transmission electronmore » microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. XPS results confirmed the chemical states and composition of the ablated products. TEM analysis showed different morphologies for the nanomaterials obtained in different liquid media and ablation wavelengths. The optical properties for these CIGS nanocolloids were analyzed using UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. The results demonstrated the use of PLALM as a useful synthesis technique for nanoparticles of quaternary photovoltaic materials.« less

Up-conversion multiwave (White) luminescence in the visible spectral range under excitation by IR laser diodes in the active BaY2F8:Yb3+,Pr3+ medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pushkar', A. A.; Uvarova, T. V.; Kiiko, V. V.

2011-08-01

The possibilities of occupying high-lying 4 f states of Pr3+ ions in the active BaY2F8:Yb3+,Pr3+ medium according to the photon avalanche and step-by-step sensitization mechanisms are compared. It is shown that the photon avalanche is unlikely to occur in the BaY2F8:Yb3+,Pr3+ crystal. The multiband luminescence spectra in the visible spectral range (white emission) under single- and multiwave pumping of BaY2F8:Yb3+,Pr3+ crystal by IR laser diodes are reported.

Dual Q-switched laser outputs from a single lasing medium using an intracavity MEMS micromirror array.

PubMed

Bauer, Ralf; Lubeigt, Walter; Uttamchandani, Deepak

2012-09-01

An intracavity array of individually controlled microelectromechanical system scanning micromirrors was used to actively Q-switch a single side-pumped Nd:YAG gain medium. Two equal power independent laser outputs were simultaneously obtained by separate actuation of two adjacent micromirrors with a combined average output power of 125 mW. Pulse durations of 28 ns FWHM at 8.7 kHz repetition frequency and 34 ns FWHM at 7.9 kHz repetition frequency were observed for the two output beams with beam quality factors M2 of 1.2 and 1.1 and peak powers of 253 W and 232 W, respectively.

Novel core-shell (TiO2@Silica) nanoparticles for scattering medium in a random laser: higher efficiency, lower laser threshold and lower photodegradation.

PubMed

Jimenez-Villar, Ernesto; Mestre, Valdeci; de Oliveira, Paulo C; de Sá, Gilberto F

2013-12-21

There has been growing interest in scattering media in recent years, due to their potential applications as solar collectors, photocatalyzers, random lasers and other novel optical devices. Here, we have introduced a novel core-shell scattering medium for a random laser composed of TiO2@Silica nanoparticles. Higher efficiency, lower laser threshold and long photobleaching lifetime in random lasers were demonstrated. This has introduced a new method or parameter (fraction of absorbed pumping), which opens a new avenue to characterize and study the scattering media. Optical chemical and colloidal stabilities were combined by coating a suitable silica shell onto TiO2 nanoparticles.

Medium- and high-pressure gauges and transducers produced by laser welding technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daurelio, Giuseppe; Nenci, Fabio; Cinquepalmi, Massimo; Chita, Giuseppe

1998-07-01

Industrial manufacturers produce many types of pressure gauges and transducers according to the applications, for gas or liquid, for high-medium and low pressure ranges. Nowadays the current production technology generally prefers to weld by micro TIG source the metallic corrugated membranes to the gauge or transducer bodies for the products, operating on the low pressure or medium pressure ranges. For the other ones, operating to high pressure range, generally the two components of the transducers are both threaded only and threaded and then circularly welded by micro TIG for the other higher range, till to 1000 bar. In this work the products, operating on the approximately equals 30 divided by 200 bar, are considered. These, when assembled on industrial plants, as an outcome of a non-correct operating sequence, give a 'shifted' electrical signal. This is due to a shift of the 'zero electrical signal' that unbalances the electrical bridge - thin layer sensor - that is the sensitive part of the product. Moreover, for the same problem, often some mechanical settlings of the transducer happen during the first pressure semi-components, with an increasing of the product manufacturing costs. In light of all this, the above referred, in this work the whole transducer has been re-designed according to the specific laser welding technology requirements. On the new product no threaded parts exist but only a circular laser welding with a full penetration depth about 2.5 divided by 3 mm high. Three different alloys have been tested according to the applications and the mechanical properties requested to the transducer. By using a 1.5 KW CO2 laser system many different working parameters have been evaluated for correlating laser parameters to the penetration depths, crown wides, interaction laser-materia times, mechanical and metallurgical properties. Moreover during the laser welding process the measurements of the maximum temperature, reached by the transducer top, has been

Enhancement of temporal contrast of high-power laser pulses in an anisotropic medium with cubic nonlinearity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuz'mina, M. S.; Khazanov, E. A.

2015-05-01

We consider the methods for enhancing the temporal contrast of super-high-power laser pulses, based on the conversion of radiation polarisation in a medium with cubic nonlinearity. For a medium with weak birefringence and isotropic nonlinearity, we propose a new scheme to enhance the temporal contrast. For a medium with anisotropic nonlinearity, the efficiency of the temporal contrast optimisation is shown to depend not only on the spatial orientation of the crystal and B-integral, but also on the type of the crystal lattice symmetry.

Direct nuclear pumped laser

DOEpatents

Miley, George H.; Wells, William E.; DeYoung, Russell J.

1978-01-01

There is provided a direct nuclear pumped gas laser in which the lasing mechanism is collisional radiated recombination of ions. The gas laser active medium is a mixture of the gases, with one example being neon and nitrogen.

Excitation and relaxation of metastable atomic states in an active medium of a repetitively pulsed copper vapour laser

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bokhan, P A; Zakrevskii, D E; Lavrukhin, M A

2016-02-28

The influence of a pre-pulse population of copper atom metastable states and their sub-population at a current pulse edge on the copper vapour laser pulse energy is studied under optimal temperature conditions. Experiments have been performed with active elements of a commercial laser having an internal diameter of a discharge channel of 14 and 20 mm. It is found that at a pulse repetition frequency of 12 – 14 kHz, corresponding to a maximal output power, the reduction of the energy due to a residual population of metastable states is by an order of magnitude less than due to theirmore » sub-population at a current pulse edge. The modelling based on the experimental results obtained has shown that in the case of an active element with an internal diameter of 14 mm, a decrease in the pulse leading edge from ∼25 ns to 0.6 ns does not reduce the laser pulse energy up to the repetition frequency of ∼50 kHz at an average output power of 70 W m{sup -1} and efficiency of ∼11%. (lasers)« less

Efficient high repetition rate electro-optic Q-switched laser with an optically active langasite crystal

PubMed Central

Ma, Shihui; Yu, Haohai; Zhang, Huaijin; Han, Xuekun; Lu, Qingming; Ma, Changqin; Boughton, Robert I.; Wang, Jiyang

2016-01-01

With an optically active langasite (LGS) crystal as the electro-optic Q-switch, we demonstrate an efficient Q-switched laser with a repetition rate of 200 kHz. Based on the theoretical analysis of the interaction between optical activity and electro-optic property, the optical activity of the crystal has no influence on the birefringence during Q-switching if the quarter wave plate used was rotated to align with the polarization direction. With a Nd:LuVO4 crystal possessing a large emission cross-section and a short fluorescence lifetime as the gain medium, a stable LGS Q-switched laser was designed with average output power of 4.39 W, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 29.4% and with a minimum pulse width of 5.1 ns. This work represents the highest repetition rate achieved so far in a LGS Q-switched laser and it can provide a practical Q-switched laser with a tunable high repetition rates for many applications, such as materials processing, laser ranging, medicine, military applications, biomacromolecule materials, remote sensing, etc. PMID:27461819

Subwavelength micropillar array terahertz lasers.

PubMed

Krall, Michael; Brandstetter, Martin; Deutsch, Christoph; Detz, Hermann; Andrews, Aaron Maxwell; Schrenk, Werner; Strasser, Gottfried; Unterrainer, Karl

2014-01-13

We report on micropillar-based terahertz lasers with active pillars that are much smaller than the emission wavelength. These micropillar array lasers correspond to scaled-down band-edge photonic crystal lasers forming an active photonic metamaterial. In contrast to photonic crystal lasers which use significantly larger pillar structures, lasing emission is not observed close to high-symmetry points in the photonic band diagram, but in the effective medium regime. We measure stimulated emission at 4 THz for micropillar array lasers with pillar diameters of 5 µm. Our results not only demonstrate the integration of active subwavelength optics in a terahertz laser, but are also an important step towards the realization of nanowire-based terahertz lasers.

PHYSICAL EFFECTS OCCURRING DURING GENERATION AND AMPLIFICATION OF LASER RADIATION: Kinetic model of the active medium of an XeCl laser pumped by an electron beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boĭchenko, A. M.; Derzhiev, V. I.; Zhidkov, A. G.; Yakovlenko, Sergei I.

1989-02-01

Kinetic models of active media of an XeCl laser are developed for the case when these media are diluted by various buffer gases (helium, neon, argon) and the laser is pumped by an electron beam. The results of the calculations are in satisfactory agreement with experimental data.

Method and apparatus for producing laser radiation following two-photon excitation of a gaseous medium

DOEpatents

Bischel, William K. [Menlo Park, CA; Jacobs, Ralph R. [Livermore, CA; Prosnitz, Donald [Hamden, CT; Rhodes, Charles K. [Palo Alto, CA; Kelly, Patrick J. [Fort Lewis, WA

1979-02-20

Method and apparatus for producing laser radiation by two-photon optical pumping of an atomic or molecular gaseous medium and subsequent lasing action. A population inversion is created as a result of two-photon absorption of the gaseous species. Stark tuning is utilized, if necessary, in order to tune the two-photon transition into exact resonance. In particular, gaseous ammonia (NH.sub.3) or methyl fluoride (CH.sub.3 F) is optically pumped by a pair of CO.sub.2 lasers to create a population inversion resulting from simultaneous two-photon excitation of a high-lying vibrational state, and laser radiation is produced by stimulated emission of coherent radiation from the inverted level.

Method and apparatus for producing laser radiation following two-photon excitation of a gaseous medium

DOEpatents

Bischel, W.K.; Jacobs, R.R.; Prosnitz, D.P.; Rhodes, C.K.; Kelly, P.J.

1979-02-20

Method and apparatus are disclosed for producing laser radiation by two-photon optical pumping of an atomic or molecular gaseous medium and subsequent lasing action. A population inversion is created as a result of two-photon absorption of the gaseous species. Stark tuning is utilized, if necessary, in order to tune the two-photon transition into exact resonance. In particular, gaseous ammonia (NH[sub 3]) or methyl fluoride (CH[sub 3]F) is optically pumped by a pair of CO[sub 2] lasers to create a population inversion resulting from simultaneous two-photon excitation of a high-lying vibrational state, and laser radiation is produced by stimulated emission of coherent radiation from the inverted level. 3 figs.

Short cavity active mode locking fiber laser for optical sensing and imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hwi Don; Han, Ga Hee; Jeong, Syung Won; Jeong, Myung Yung; Kim, Chang-Seok; Shin, Jun Geun; Lee, Byeong Ha; Eom, Tae Joong

2014-05-01

We demonstrate a highly linear wavenumber- swept active mode locking (AML) fiber laser for optical sensing and imaging without any wavenumber-space resampling process. In this all-electric AML wavenumber-swept mechanism, a conventional wavelength selection filter is eliminated and, instead, the suitable programmed electric modulation signal is directly applied to the gain medium. Various types of wavenumber (or wavelength) tunings can be implemented because of the filter-less cavity configuration. Therefore, we successfully demonstrate a linearly wavenumber-swept AML fiber laser with 26.5 mW of output power to obtain an in-vivo OCT image at the 100 kHz swept rate.

Frequency Tunable Wire Lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hu, Qing (Inventor)

2013-01-01

The present invention provides frequency tunable solid-state radiation-generating devices, such as lasers and amplifiers, whose active medium has a size in at least one transverse dimension (e.g., its width) that is much smaller than the wavelength of radiation generated and/or amplified within the active medium. In such devices, a fraction of radiation travels as an evanescent propagating mode outside the active medium. It has been discovered that in such devices the radiation frequency can be tuned by the interaction of a tuning mechanism with the propagating evanescent mode.

High-efficiency diode-pumped actively Q-switched ceramic Nd:YAG/BaWO₄ Raman laser operating at 1666 nm.

PubMed

Zhang, H N; Chen, X H; Wang, Q P; Zhang, X Y; Chang, J; Gao, L; Shen, H B; Cong, Z H; Liu, Z J; Tao, X T; Li, P

2014-05-01

A diode-pumped actively Q-switched Raman laser employing BaWO4 as the Raman active medium and a ceramic Nd:YAG laser operating at 1444 nm as the pump source is demonstrated. The first-Stokes-Raman generation at 1666 nm is achieved. With a pump power of 20.3 W and pulse repetition frequency rate of 5 kHz, a maximum output power of 1.21 W is obtained, which is the highest output power for a 1.6 μm Raman laser. The corresponding optical-to-optical conversion efficiency is 6%; the pulse energy and peak power are 242 μJ and 8.96 kW, respectively.

Linear analysis of active-medium two-beam accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voin, Miron; Schächter, Levi

2015-07-01

We present detailed development of the linear theory of wakefield amplification by active medium and its possible application to a two-beam accelerator (TBA) is discussed. A relativistic train of triggering microbunches traveling along a vacuum channel in an active medium confined by a cylindrical waveguide excites Cherenkov wake in the medium. The wake is a superposition of azimuthally symmetric transverse magnetic modes propagating along a confining waveguide, with a phase velocity equal to the velocity of the triggering bunches. The structure may be designed in such a way that the frequency of one of the modes is close to active-medium resonant frequency, resulting in amplification of the former and domination of a single mode far behind the trigger bunches. Another electron bunch placed in proper phase with the amplified wakefield may be accelerated by the latter. Importantly, the energy for acceleration is provided by the active medium and not the drive bunch as in a traditional TBA. Based on a simplified model, we analyze extensively the impact of various parameters on the wakefield amplification process.

Laser amplifier and method

DOEpatents

Backus, S.; Kapteyn, H.C.; Murnane, M.M.

1997-07-01

Laser amplifiers and methods for amplifying a laser beam are disclosed. A representative embodiment of the amplifier comprises first and second curved mirrors, a gain medium, a third mirror, and a mask. The gain medium is situated between the first and second curved mirrors at the focal point of each curved mirror. The first curved mirror directs and focuses a laser beam to pass through the gain medium to the second curved mirror which reflects and recollimates the laser beam. The gain medium amplifies and shapes the laser beam as the laser beam passes therethrough. The third mirror reflects the laser beam, reflected from the second curved mirror, so that the laser beam bypasses the gain medium and return to the first curved mirror, thereby completing a cycle of a ring traversed by the laser beam. The mask defines at least one beam-clipping aperture through which the laser beam passes during a cycle. The gain medium is pumped, preferably using a suitable pumping laser. The laser amplifier can be used to increase the energy of continuous-wave or, especially, pulsed laser beams including pulses of femtosecond duration and relatively high pulse rate. 7 figs.

Laser amplifier and method

DOEpatents

Backus, Sterling; Kapteyn, Henry C.; Murnane, Margaret M.

1997-01-01

Laser amplifiers and methods for amplifying a laser beam are disclosed. A representative embodiment of the amplifier comprises first and second curved mirrors, a gain medium, a third mirror, and a mask. The gain medium is situated between the first and second curved mirrors at the focal point of each curved mirror. The first curved mirror directs and focuses a laser beam to pass through the gain medium to the second curved mirror which reflects and recollimates the laser beam. The gain medium amplifies and shapes the laser beam as the laser beam passes therethough. The third mirror reflects the laser beam, reflected from the second curved mirror, so that the laser beam bypasses the gain medium and return to the first curved mirror, thereby completing a cycle of a ring traversed by the laser beam. The mask defines at least one beam-clipping aperture through which the laser beam passes during a cycle. The gain medium is pumped, preferably using a suitable pumping laser. The laser amplifier can be used to increase the energy of continuous-wave or, especially, pulsed laser beams including pulses of femtosecond duration and relatively high pulse rate.

High-frequency strontium vapor laser for biomedical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hvorostovsky, A.; Kolmakov, E.; Kudashev, I.; Redka, D.; Kancer, A.; Kustikova, M.; Bykovskaya, E.; Mayurova, A.; Stupnikov, A.; Ruzankina, J.; Tsvetkov, K.; Lukyanov, N.; Paklinov, N.

2018-02-01

Sr-laser with high pulse repetition rate and high peak radiation power is a unique tool for studying rapidly occurring processes in time (plasma diagnostics, photoablation, etc.). In addition, the study of the frequency characteristics of the active medium of the laser helps to reveal the physics of the formation of an inverse medium in metal vapor lasers. In this paper, an experimental study of an Sr-laser with an active volume of 5.8 cm3 in the pulse repetition frequency range from 25 to 200 kHz is carried out, and a comparison with the frequency characteristics of media with large active volumes is given. We considered the frequency characteristics of the active medium in two modes: at a constant energy in the excitation pulse CU2 / 2 and at a constant average power consumed by the rectifier. In the presented work with a small-volume GRT using the TASITR-5/12 TASITRON switch, a laser was generated for Pairs of strontium at a CSF of 200 kHz. The behavior of the characteristics of the generation lines of 6.456 μm, 1 μm, and 3 μm at increased repetition frequencies is considered. Using the example of large-volume GRT, it is shown that tubes with a large active volume increase their energy characteristics with the growth of the CSF. The possibility of laser operation at pulse repetition rates above 200 kHz is shown.

Calculation of the mixing chamber of an ejector chemical oxygen - iodine laser

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zagidullin, M V; Nikolaev, V D

2001-06-30

Gas parameters are calculated at the outlet of the mixing chamber of an ejector chemical oxygen-iodine laser with a nozzle unit consisting of nozzles of three types, which provides a total pressure of the active medium that substantially exceeds a pressure in the generator of singlet oxygen. This technique of forming the laser active medium substantially facilitates the ejection of the exhaust gas to the atmosphere by using a diffuser and single-stage vacuum systems based on water circulating pumps. (lasers, active media)

Fiber distributed feedback laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Elachi, C.; Evans, G. A.; Yeh, C. (Inventor)

1976-01-01

Utilizing round optical fibers as communication channels in optical communication networks presents the problem of obtaining a high efficiency coupling between the optical fiber and the laser. A laser is made an integral part of the optical fiber channel by either diffusing active material into the optical fiber or surrounding the optical fiber with the active material. Oscillation within the active medium to produce lasing action is established by grating the optical fiber so that distributed feedback occurs.

Photonuclear activation of pure isotopic mediums.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grohman, Mark A.; Lukosi, Eric Daniel

2010-06-01

This work simulated the response of idealized isotopic U-235, U-238, Th-232, and Pu-239 mediums to photonuclear activation with various photon energies. These simulations were conducted using MCNPX version 2.6.0. It was found that photon energies between 14-16 MeV produce the highest response with respect to neutron production rates from all photonuclear reactions. In all cases, Pu-239 responds the highest, followed by U-238. Th-232 produces more overall neutrons at lower photon energies then U-235 when material thickness is above 3.943 centimeters. The time it takes each isotopic material to reach stable neutron production rates in time is directly proportional to themore » material thickness and stopping power of the medium, where thicker mediums take longer to reach stable neutron production rates and thinner media display a neutron production plateau effect, due to the lack of significant attenuation of the activating photons in the isotopic mediums. At this time, no neutron sensor system has time resolutions capable of verifying these simulations, but various indirect methods are possible and should be explored for verification of these results.« less

Photonic Molecule Lasers Revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagnon, Denis; Dumont, Joey; Déziel, Jean-Luc; Dubé, Louis J.

2014-05-01

Photonic molecules (PMs) formed by coupling two or more optical resonators are ideal candidates for the fabrication of integrated microlasers, photonic molecule lasers. Whereas most calculations on PM lasers have been based on cold-cavity (passive) modes, i.e. quasi-bound states, a recently formulated steady-state ab initio laser theory (SALT) offers the possibility to take into account the spectral properties of the underlying gain transition, its position and linewidth, as well as incorporating an arbitrary pump profile. We will combine two theoretical approaches to characterize the lasing properties of PM lasers: for two-dimensional systems, the generalized Lorenz-Mie theory will obtain the resonant modes of the coupled molecules in an active medium described by SALT. Not only is then the theoretical description more complete, the use of an active medium provides additional parameters to control, engineer and harness the lasing properties of PM lasers for ultra-low threshold and directional single-mode emission. We will extend our recent study and present new results for a number of promising geometries. The authors acknowledge financial support from NSERC (Canada) and the CERC in Photonic Innovations of Y. Messaddeq.

Wettability transition of laser textured brass surfaces inside different mediums

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Huangping; Abdul Rashid, Mohamed Raiz B.; Khew, Si Ying; Li, Fengping; Hong, Minghui

2018-01-01

Hydrophobic surface on brass has attracted intensive attention owing to its importance in scientific research and practical applications. Laser texturing provides a simple and promising method to achieve it. Reducing wettability transition time from hydrophilicity to hydrophobicity or superhydrophobicity remains a challenge. Herein, wettability transition of brass surfaces with hybrid micro/nano-structures fabricated by laser texturing was investigated by immersing the samples inside different mediums. Scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and surface contact angle measurement were employed to characterize surface morphology, chemical composition and wettability of the fabricated surfaces of brass samples. Wettability transition time from hydrophilicity to hydrophobicity was shortened by immersion into isopropyl alcohol for a period of 3 h as a result of the absorption and accumulation of organic substances on the textured brass surface. When the textured brass sample was immersed into sodium bicarbonate solution, flower-like structures on the sample surface played a key role in slowing down wettability transition. Moreover, it had the smallest steady state contact angle as compared to the others. This study provides a facile method to construct textured surfaces with tunable wetting behaviors and effectively extend the industrial applications of brass.

Solid state laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rines, Glen A. (Inventor); Moulton, Peter F. (Inventor); Harrison, James (Inventor)

1993-01-01

A wavelength-tunable, injection-seeded, dispersion-compensated, dispersively-pumped solid state laser includes a lasing medium; a highly reflective mirror; an output coupler; at least one isosceles Brewster prism oriented to the minimum deviation angle between the medium and the mirror for directing light of different wavelengths along different paths; means for varying the angle of the highly reflective mirror relative to the light from at least one Brewster angle for selecting a predetermined laser operating wavelength; a dispersion compensation apparatus associated with the lasing medium; a laser injection seeding port disposed between the dispersion compensation apparatus and one of the mirror and coupler and including a reflective surface at an acute non-Brewster angle to the laser beam for introducing a seed input; a dispersion compensation apparatus associated with the laser medium including opposite chirality optical elements; the lasing medium including a pump surface disposed at an acute angle to the laser beam to define a discrete path for the pumping laser beam separate from the pumped laser beam.

Tunable semiconductor lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taghavi-Larigani, Shervin (Inventor); Vanzyl, Jakob J. (Inventor); Yariv, Amnon (Inventor)

2006-01-01

Tunable semiconductor lasers are disclosed requiring minimized coupling regions. Multiple laser embodiments employ ring resonators or ring resonator pairs using only a single coupling region with the gain medium are detailed. Tuning can be performed by changing the phase of the coupling coefficient between the gain medium and a ring resonator of the laser. Another embodiment provides a tunable laser including two Mach-Zehnder interferometers in series and a reflector coupled to a gain medium.

Efficient diode-end-pumped actively Q-switched Nd:YAG/SrWO4/KTP yellow laser.

PubMed

Cong, Zhenhua; Zhang, Xingyu; Wang, Qingpu; Liu, Zhaojun; Li, Shutao; Chen, Xiaohan; Zhang, Xiaolei; Fan, Shuzhen; Zhang, Huaijin; Tao, Xutang

2009-09-01

An efficient intracavity frequency-doubled Raman laser was obtained by using an SrWO(4) Raman medium, an Nd:YAG ceramic gain medium, and a KTP frequency-doubling medium. Three laser cavities, including a two-mirror cavity, a three-mirror coupled cavity, and a folded cavity, were investigated. With the coupled cavity, a 2.93 W, 590 nm laser was obtained at an incident pump power of 16.2 W and a pulse repetition frequency of 20 kHz; the corresponding conversion efficiency was 18.1%. The highest conversion efficiency of 19.2% was obtained at an incident pump power of 14.1 W and a pulse repetition frequency of 15 kHz. The obtained maximum output power and conversion efficiency were much higher than the results previously obtained with intracavity frequency-doubled solid-state Raman lasers.

Microstructure and Corrosion Behavior of Laser Melted 304L SS Weldment in Nitric Acid Medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suresh, Girija; Kishor, P. S. V. R. A.; Dasgupta, Arup; Upadhyay, B. N.; Mallika, C.; Kamachi Mudali, U.

2017-02-01

The manuscript presents the effect of laser surface melting on the corrosion property of 304L SS weldment in nitric acid medium. 304L SS weldment was prepared by gas tungsten arc welding process and subsequently laser surface melted using Nd:YAG laser. The microstructure and corrosion resistance of laser surface melted 304L SS weldment was evaluated and compared with that of 304L SS as-weldment and 304L SS base. Microstructural evaluation was carried out using optical and scanning electron microscopes attached with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Corrosion investigations were carried out in 4 and 8 M nitric acid by potentiodynamic polarization technique. From the results, it was found that laser surface melting of the weldment led to chemical and microstructural homogeneities, accompanied by a substantial decrease in delta ferrite content, that enhanced the corrosion resistance of the weldment in 4 and 8 M nitric acid. However, the enhancement in the corrosion resistance was not substantial. The presence of small amount of delta ferrite (2-4 wt.%) in the laser surface melted specimens was found to be detrimental in nitric acid. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies were carried out to investigate the composition of the passive film.

Theory of lasing in a multiple-scattering medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

John, Sajeev; Pang, Gendi

1996-10-01

In several recent experiments, isotropic lasing action was observed in paints that contain rhodamine 640 dye molecules in methanol solution as gain media and titania particles as optical scatterers. These so-called paint-on laser systems are extraordinary because they are highly disordered systems. The microscopic mechanism for laser activity and the coherence properties of light emission in this multiple-light-scattering medium have not yet been elucidated. In this paper we derive the emission intensity properties of a model dye system with excited singlet and triplet electronic energy levels, which is immersed in a multiple-scattering medium with transport mean free path l*. Using physically reasonable estimates for the absorption and emission cross section for the singlet and triplet manifolds, and the singlet-triplet intersystem crossing rate, we solve the nonlinear laser rate equations for the dye molecules. This leads to a diffusion equation for the light intensity in the medium with a nonlinear intensity-dependent gain coefficient. Using this model we are able to account for nearly all of the experimentally observed properties of laser paint reported so far when l*>>λ0, the emission wavelength. This includes the dependence of the peak intensity of amplified emission on the mean free path l*, the dye concentration ρ, and the pump intensity characteristics. Our model recaptures the collapse of the emission linewidth at a specific threshold pump intensity and describes how this threshold intensity varies with l*. In addition, our model predicts a dramatic increase in the peak intensity and a further lowering of the lasing threshold for the strong scattering limit l*-->λ0. This suggests a striking enhancement of the characteristics of laser paint near the photon localization threshold in a disordered medium.

Restoration of longitudinal laser tomography target image from inhomogeneous medium degradation under common conditions.

PubMed

Yi, WenJun; Wang, Ping; Fu, MeiCheng; Tan, JiChun; Zhu, Jubo; Li, XiuJian

2017-07-10

In order to overcome the shortages of the target image restoration method for longitudinal laser tomography using self-calibration, a more general restoration method through backscattering medium images associated with prior parameters is developed for common conditions. The system parameters are extracted from pre-calibration, and the LIDAR ratio is estimated according to the medium types. Assisted by these prior parameters, the degradation caused by inhomogeneous turbid media can be established with the backscattering medium images, which can further be used for removal of the interferences of turbid media. The results of simulations and experiments demonstrate that the proposed image restoration method can effectively eliminate the inhomogeneous interferences of turbid media and achieve exactly the reflectivity distribution of targets behind inhomogeneous turbid media. Furthermore, the restoration method can work beyond the limitation of the previous method that only works well under the conditions of localized turbid attenuations and some types of targets with fairly uniform reflectivity distributions.

Performance comparison of supersonic ejectors with different motive gas injection schemes applicable for flowing medium gas laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singhal, G.; Subbarao, P. M. V.; Mainuddin; Tyagi, R. K.; Dawar, A. L.

2017-05-01

A class of flowing medium gas lasers with low generator pressures employ supersonic flows with low cavity pressure and are primarily categorized as high throughput systems capable of being scaled up to MW class. These include; Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL) and Hydrogen (Deuterium) Fluoride (HF/DF). The practicability of such laser systems for various applications is enhanced by exhausting the effluents directly to ambient atmosphere. Consequently, ejector based pressure recovery forms a potent configuration for open cycle operation. Conventionally these gas laser systems require at least two ejector stages with low pressure stage being more critical, since it directly entrains the laser media, and the ensuing perturbation of cavity flow, if any, may affect laser operation. Hence, the choice of plausible motive gas injection schemes viz., peripheral or central is a fluid dynamic issue of interest, and a parametric experimental performance comparison would be beneficial. Thus, the focus is to experimentally characterize the effect of variation in motive gas supply pressure, entrainment ratio, back pressure conditions, nozzle injection position operated together with a COIL device and discern the reasons for the behavior.

New medium for detection of esterase and gelatinase activity.

PubMed

Pácová, Z; Kocur, M

1984-10-01

A new medium was developed for detecting esterase and gelatinase activities in aerobic and facultatively anaerobic bacteria. The new medium was tested with various strains of bacteria and the results showed agreement between the reactions in the new medium and those obtained by conventional techniques. The new medium is more economical and may be used for a rapid differentiation of Serratia, Aeromonas and Vibrio species from biochemically similar bacteria.

Characteristics of unstable resonators in flashlamp-pumped organic-compound lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alekseyev, V. A.; Trinchuk, B. F.; Shulenin, A. V.

1985-01-01

A symmetrical confocal resonator formed by two blind convex mirrors was investigated. The space energy characteristics of radiation from a laser with an unstable resonator were investigated as a function of the specific pumping energy per cubic centimeter of active medium and the magnification of the resonator. Oscillograms of laser pulses were recorded in different cross sections of the laser beam, as were the lasing field patterns at various distances from the exit mirror of the resonator. The maximum spectral wavelengths of flat and unstable resonators were tabulated. It was found that the proper choice of parameters of an unstable resonator reduces laser beam divergence significantly and provides greater axial brightness of radiation than that provided by a flat resonator, even with a highly nonhomogeneous active medium, making it possible to extend the capabilities of flashlamp pumped organic compound lasers.

High energy XeBr electric discharge laser

DOEpatents

Sze, Robert C.; Scott, Peter B.

1981-01-01

A high energy XeBr laser for producing coherent radiation at 282 nm. The XeBr laser utilizes an electric discharge as the excitation source to minimize formation of molecular ions thereby minimizing absorption of laser radiation by the active medium. Additionally, HBr is used as the halogen donor which undergoes harpooning reactions with Xe.sub.M * to form XeBr*.

High energy XeBr electric discharge laser

DOEpatents

Sze, R.C.; Scott, P.B.

A high energy XeBr laser for producing coherent radiation at 282 nm is disclosed. The XeBr laser utilizes an electric discharge as the excitation source to minimize formation of molecular ions thereby minimizing absorption of laser radiation by the active medium. Additionally, HBr, is used as the halogen donor which undergoes harpooning reactions with Xe/sub M/ to form XeBr.

The doppler frequency shift caused by the inhomogeneities of a medium induced by pulses of intense laser radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rozanov, N. N.; Kiselev, Al. S.; Kiselev, An. S.

2008-08-01

Self-reflection of pulses of intense laser radiation from an inhomogeneity induced by them in a medium with fast optical nonlinearity is analyzed. The reflected radiation is characterized by a considerable Doppler shift and by a signal magnitude that is sufficient for experimental detection.

The design and development of CO2 medium-level laser power calibration system for industrial and medical applications in Thailand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nontapot, Kanokwan

2018-03-01

The carbon dioxide laser (CO2 laser) is one of the most useful and is the highest CW laser at the present. The laser produces infrared light at 10.6 um. Due to its high power, CO2 lasers are usually used in industrial applications such as cutting and welding, or for engraving at less power. CO2 lasers are also used widely in medical applications, such as laser surgery, skin resurfacing, and removing mold, due to water (biological tissue) absorb light at this wavelength very well. CO2 lasers are also used as LIDAR laser source for military range finding applications because of the transparency of the atmosphere to infrared light. Due to the increasing use of CO2 lasers laser in industrial and medical applications in Thailand, the National Institute of Metrology (Thailand) has set up a CO2 laser power calibration system and provide calibration service to customers this year. The service support calibration of medium-level laser power at wavelength of 10.6 um and at power range 100 mW-10W. The design and development of the calibration system will be presented.

Comparison of laser-activated tissue solders and thrombin-activated cryoprecipitate for wound closure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kayton, Mark L.; Libutti, Steven K.; Bessler, Marc; Allendorf, John D. F.; Eiref, Simon D.; Marx, Gerard; Mou, Xiaode; Morales, Alfredo M.; Treat, Michael R.; Nowygrod, Roman

1994-09-01

To determine the relative strengths of various biologic adhesives at several timepoints, we compared thrombin-activated SD (solvent-detergent treated) cryoprecipitate with laser- activated SD cryoprecipitate and a laser-activated, albumin-based glue. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n equals 79) received four, 3-cm, dorsal skin incisions which were closed with either laser- activated cryoprecipitate, laser-activated albumin solder, thrombin-activated cryoprecipitate, or standard skin staples. The cryoprecipitate was derived from pooled human plasma and was treated with a solvent-detergent process, rendering it free of envelope-coated viruses (i.e., HBV, HIV). An 808-nm diode laser was used to activate each solder with an average duration of exposure of 75 seconds per incision. Animals were sacrificed for evaluation of wound tensile strength and histology at 0 hours, 2 hours, 4 hours, and 4 days. At all timepoints tested, laser-activated solders were significantly stronger than thrombin-activated cryoprecipitate (p < 0.03) and control wounds (p < 0.003). There was no significant difference in tensile strength between the two types of laser-activated solder at any timepoint.

Eye-Safe KGd(WO4)2:Nd Laser: Nano- and Subnanosecond Pulse Generation in Self-Frequency Raman Conversion Mode with Active Q-Switching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dashkevich, V. I.; Orlovich, V. A.

2017-03-01

The shape of the multimode Stokes pulse generated by an eye-safe KGd(WO4)2:Nd laser with self-frequency Raman conversion and active Q-switching was shown to depend on the inhomogeneity of the active-medium pump. The laser generated a short and undistorted Stokes pulse of length 2.5 ns that increased with increasing laser cavity length for a moderately inhomogeneous pump characterized by a higher population inversion in the center of the active element. The energy of the Stokes pulse ( 11.5 mJ) varied little as the output-mirror reflectivity varied in the range 5-45%. The Raman pulse became distorted if the inhomogeneity of the pump was increased considerably. The degree of pump inhomogeneity was negligible with fundamental TEM00 mode selection. The laser generated subnanosecond Stokes pulses with peak power in the MW range.

AR coatings on laser crystals for HiPER project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oulehla, Jindřich; Pokorný, Pavel

2010-08-01

In this contribution we present a technology for deposition of interference coatings for optical components designed to operate as active media in power pulsed lasers. The aim of the technology is to prepare crystals for lasers for the HiPER project (High Power laser Energy Research) which should demonstrate the feasibility of laser driven fusion as a future energy source. Diode pumped solid state lasers (DPSSL) are the most likely option for fusion ignition. The choice of material for the lasers active medium is critical. Some of the most important properties include the ability to be antireflection coated to reduce the energy losses and increase the overall efficiency. This contribution deals with some of the materials considered to be candidates for slabs serving as the active medium of the DPSSLs. We tested Yb:YAG, Yb:CaF2 samples. As large amounts of heat need to be dissipated during laser operation, cryogenic cooling is necessary. Appropriate coating materials and techniques need to be chosen. Therefore differences between available coating techniques are investigated in terms of adhesion, enduring of stress resulting from temperature shocks, etc. Coated samples were placed into cryogenic environment in order to simulate conditions similar to those in real life operation. Optical microscopy was used for coating investigation after the conducted experiments.

Simple synthetic route for hydroxyapatite colloidal nanoparticles via a Nd:YAG laser ablation in liquid medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mhin, Sung Wook; Ryu, Jeong Ho; Kim, Kang Min; Park, Gyeong Seon; Ryu, Han Wool; Shim, Kwang Bo; Sasaki, Takeshi; Koshizaki, Naoto

2009-08-01

Pulsed laser ablation (PLA) in liquid medium was successfully employed to synthesize hydroxyapatite (HAp) colloidal nanoparticles. The crystalline phase, particle morphology, size distribution and microstructure of the HAp nanoparticles were investigated in detail. The obtained HAp nanoparticles had spherical shape with sizes ranging from 5 to 20 nm. The laser ablation and the nanoparticle forming process were studied in terms of the explosive ejection mechanism by investigating the change of the surface morphology on target. The stoichiometry and bonding properties were studied by using XPS, FT-IR and Raman spectroscopy. A molar ratio of Ca/P of the prepared HAp nanoparticles was more stoichiometric than the value reported in the case of ablation in vacuum.

Pr:YAlO(3) microchip laser.

PubMed

Fibrich, Martin; Jelínková, Helena; Sulc, Jan; Nejezchleb, Karel; Skoda, Václav

2010-08-01

A cw Pr:YAlO(3) microchip-laser operation in the near-IR spectral region is reported. A microchip resonator was formed by dielectric mirrors directly deposited on the Pr:YAlO(3) crystal surfaces. For active medium pumping, a GaN laser diode providing up to 1W of output power at approximately 448 nm was used. 139mW of laser radiation at 747nm wavelength has been extracted from the microchip-laser system. Slope efficiency related to the incident pumping power was approximately 25%.

Plasma-activated medium suppresses choroidal neovascularization in mice: a new therapeutic concept for age-related macular degeneration.

PubMed

Ye, Fuxiang; Kaneko, Hiroki; Nagasaka, Yosuke; Ijima, Ryo; Nakamura, Kae; Nagaya, Masatoshi; Takayama, Kei; Kajiyama, Hiroaki; Senga, Takeshi; Tanaka, Hiromasa; Mizuno, Masaaki; Kikkawa, Fumitaka; Hori, Masaru; Terasaki, Hiroko

2015-01-09

Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is the main pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which leads to severe vision loss in many aged patients in most advanced country. CNV compromises vision via hemorrhage and retinal detachment on account of pathological neovascularization penetrating the retina. Plasma medicine represents the medical application of ionized gas "plasma" that is typically studied in the field of physical science. Here we examined the therapeutic ability of plasma-activated medium (PAM) to suppress CNV. The effect of PAM on vascularization was assessed on the basis of human retinal endothelial cell (HREC) tube formation. In mice, laser photocoagulation was performed to induce CNV (laser-CNV), followed by intravitreal injection of PAM. N-Acetylcysteine was used to examine the role of reactive oxygen species in PAM-induced CNV suppression. Fundus imaging, retinal histology examination, and electroretinography (ERG) were also performed to evaluate PAM-induced retinal toxicity. Interestingly, HREC tube formation and laser-CNV were both reduced by treatment with PAM. N-acetylcysteine only partly neutralized the PAM-induced reduction in laser-CNV. In addition, PAM injection had no effect on regular retinal vessels, nor did it show retinal toxicity in vivo. Our findings indicate the potential of PAM as a novel therapeutic agent for suppressing CNV.

Analysis of optical scheme for medium-range directed energy laser weapon system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jabczyński, Jan K.; Kaśków, Mateusz; Gorajek, Łukasz; Kopczyński, Krzysztof

2017-10-01

The relations between range of operation and aperture of laser weapon system were investigated, taking into account diffraction and technical limitations as beam quality, accuracy of point tracking, technical quality of optical train, etc. As a result for the medium ranges of 1 - 2 km we restricted the analysis to apertures not wider than 150 mm and the optical system without adaptive optics. To choose the best laser beam shape, the minimization of aperture losses and thermooptical effects inside optics as well as the effective width of laser beam in far field should be taken into account. We have analyzed theoretically such a problem for the group of a few most interesting from that point of view profiles including for reference two limiting cases of Gaussian beam and `top hat' profile. We have found that the most promising is the SuperGaussian profile of index p = 2 for which the surfaces of beam shaper elements can be manufactured in the acceptable cost-effective way and beam quality does not decrease noticeably. Further, we have investigated the thermo-optic effects on the far field parameters of Gaussian and `top hat' beams to determine the influence of absorption in optical elements on beam quality degradation. The simplified formulae were derived for beam quality measures (parameter M2 and Strehl ratio) which enables to estimate the influence of absorption losses on degradation of beam quality.

Pulse Q-switched Nd:YAG laser ablation grown cinnamon nanomorphologies: Influence of different liquid medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salim, Ali Aqeel; Bidin, Noriah

2017-12-01

Broad range of biomedical applications demands accurate synthesis and characterization of various nanoparticles. We report the characterization of cinnamon nanoparticles (CNPs) grown via simple pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL). The influence of different liquid media (olive oil, ethanol, and citric acid each of volume 4 ml) on the growth morphology, structure and optical properties of CNPs is determined. Q-switched 1064-Nd: YAG laser of 10 ns pulse duration, 1 Hz repetition rate, 532 nm s harmonic generation and laser fluence of 6.37 J/cm2 is used to irradiate the cinnamon targets immersed in those liquids. Samples are characterized using TEM, HRTEM, SAED, FTIR, UV-Vis and Photoluminescence measurements. TEM images revealed the nucleation of CNPs of average size 18.36 nm (in olive oil), 21.48 nm (in ethanol), and 29.56 nm (in citric acid). Morphology of CNPs is demonstrated to be sensitive to the liquid medium. Our simple and innovative method may constitute a basis to produce CNPs of desired size distribution potential for the development of nanobiomedicine.

Transport of biologically active material in laser cutting.

PubMed

Frenz, M; Mathezloic, F; Stoffel, M H; Zweig, A D; Romano, V; Weber, H P

1988-01-01

The transport of biologically active material during laser cutting with CO2 and Er lasers is demonstrated. This transport mechanism removes particles from the surface of gelatin, agar, and liver samples into the depth of the laser-formed craters. The transport phenomenon is explained by a contraction and condensation of enclosed hot water vapor. We show by cultivating transported bacteria in agar that biological particles can survive the shock of the transport. Determination of the numbers of active cells evidences a more pronounced activity of the cultivated bacteria after impact with an Er laser than with a CO2 laser.

Dynamics of a multimode semiconductor laser with optical feedback

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Koryukin, I. V.

A new model of a multi-longitudinal-mode semiconductor laser with weak optical feedback is proposed. This model generalizes the well-known Tang-Statz-deMars equations, which are derived from the first principles and adequately describe solid-state lasers to a semiconductor active medium. Steady states of the model and the spectrum of relaxation oscillations are found, and the laser dynamics in the chaotic regime of low-frequency fluctuations of intensity is investigated. It is established that the dynamic properties of the proposed model depend mainly on the carrier diffusion, which controls mode-mode coupling in the active medium via spread of gratings of spatial inversion. The resultsmore » obtained are compared with the predictions of previous semiphenomenological models and the scope of applicability of these models is determined.« less

Peculiarities of spike multimode generation of a superradiant distributed feedback laser

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kocharovskaya, E R; Ginzburg, N S; Sergeev, A S

2011-08-31

Using one-dimensional semiclassical Maxwell - Bloch equations with account for the coherent polarisation dynamics, we have studied spike generation regimes of a superradiant distributed feedback laser in the case of inhomogeneous broadening of the spectral line of an active medium. By analysing the dynamic spectra of inversion of the active medium and laser radiation, we have revealed the relationship of individual spikes of radiation and their modulation with specific parts in the spectral line of the active medium and mode beatings. It has been shown that the broadening and shift of the lasing spectrum with respect to the initial electromagneticmore » Bragg-cavity modes is accompanied by a strong spectral gradient of inversion that is typical of the superradiant regimes. (control of radiation parameters)« less

Effect of medium range order on pulsed laser crystallization of amorphous germanium thin films

DOE PAGES

Li, T. T.; Bayu Aji, L. B.; Heo, T. W.; ...

2016-06-03

Sputter deposited amorphous Ge thin films had their nanostructure altered by irradiation with high-energy Ar + ions. The change in the structure resulted in a reduction in medium range order (MRO) characterized using fluctuation electron microscopy. The pulsed laser crystallization kinetics of the as-deposited versus irradiated materials were investigated using the dynamic transmission electron microscope operated in the multi-frame movie mode. In conclusion, the propagation rate of the crystallization front for the irradiated material was lower; the changes were correlated to the MRO difference and formation of a thin liquid layer during crystallization.

Effect of medium range order on pulsed laser crystallization of amorphous germanium thin films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, T. T., E-mail: li48@llnl.gov; Bayu Aji, L. B.; Heo, T. W.

Sputter deposited amorphous Ge thin films had their nanostructure altered by irradiation with high-energy Ar{sup +} ions. The change in the structure resulted in a reduction in medium range order (MRO) characterized using fluctuation electron microscopy. The pulsed laser crystallization kinetics of the as-deposited versus irradiated materials were investigated using the dynamic transmission electron microscope operated in the multi-frame movie mode. The propagation rate of the crystallization front for the irradiated material was lower; the changes were correlated to the MRO difference and formation of a thin liquid layer during crystallization.

Effect of medium range order on pulsed laser crystallization of amorphous germanium thin films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, T. T.; Bayu Aji, L. B.; Heo, T. W.

Sputter deposited amorphous Ge thin films had their nanostructure altered by irradiation with high-energy Ar + ions. The change in the structure resulted in a reduction in medium range order (MRO) characterized using fluctuation electron microscopy. The pulsed laser crystallization kinetics of the as-deposited versus irradiated materials were investigated using the dynamic transmission electron microscope operated in the multi-frame movie mode. In conclusion, the propagation rate of the crystallization front for the irradiated material was lower; the changes were correlated to the MRO difference and formation of a thin liquid layer during crystallization.

Laser rods with undoped, flanged end-caps for end-pumped laser applications

DOEpatents

Meissner, Helmuth E.; Beach, Raymond J.; Bibeau, Camille; Sutton, Steven B.; Mitchell, Scott; Bass, Isaac; Honea, Eric

1999-01-01

A method and apparatus for achieving improved performance in a solid state laser is provided. A flanged, at least partially undoped end-cap is attached to at least one end of a laserable medium. Preferably flanged, undoped end-caps are attached to both ends of the laserable medium. Due to the low scatter requirements for the interface between the end-caps and the laser rod, a non-adhesive method of bonding is utilized such as optical contacting combined with a subsequent heat treatment of the optically contacted composite. The non-bonded end surfaces of the flanged end-caps are coated with laser cavity coatings appropriate for the lasing wavelength of the laser rod. A cooling jacket, sealably coupled to the flanged end-caps, surrounds the entire length of the laserable medium. Radiation from a pump source is focussed by a lens duct and passed through at least one flanged end-cap into the laser rod.

Laser rods with undoped, flanged end-caps for end-pumped laser applications

DOEpatents

Meissner, H.E.; Beach, R.J.; Bibeau, C.; Sutton, S.B.; Mitchell, S.; Bass, I.; Honea, E.

1999-08-10

A method and apparatus for achieving improved performance in a solid state laser is provided. A flanged, at least partially undoped end-cap is attached to at least one end of a laserable medium. Preferably flanged, undoped end-caps are attached to both ends of the laserable medium. Due to the low scatter requirements for the interface between the end-caps and the laser rod, a non-adhesive method of bonding is utilized such as optical contacting combined with a subsequent heat treatment of the optically contacted composite. The non-bonded end surfaces of the flanged end-caps are coated with laser cavity coatings appropriate for the lasing wavelength of the laser rod. A cooling jacket, sealably coupled to the flanged end-caps, surrounds the entire length of the laserable medium. Radiation from a pump source is focused by a lens duct and passed through at least one flanged end-cap into the laser rod. 14 figs.

Laser and biological methods of biomonitoring of surrounding waters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Posudin, Yuri I.

1994-02-01

Three main methods are proposed for the biomonitoring of chemicals in water medium: laser spectrofluorometry, which is based on the excitation and recording of the spectra of fluorescence; laser scattering, which is connected with measurement of the Doppler shifts of the scattered light from the motile cells; videomicrography, which provides the analysis of parameters of photomovement of motile cells via microscope and video system. Such chemicals as surface-active substances, heavy metals and pesticides were determined in water medium due to these methods.

Development of high-power CO2 lasers and laser material processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nath, Ashish K.; Choudhary, Praveen; Kumar, Manoj; Kaul, R.

2000-02-01

Scaling laws to determine the physical dimensions of the active medium and optical resonator parameters for designing convective cooled CO2 lasers have been established. High power CW CO2 lasers upto 5 kW output power and a high repetition rate TEA CO2 laser of 500 Hz and 500 W average power incorporated with a novel scheme for uniform UV pre- ionization have been developed for material processing applications. Technical viability of laser processing of several engineering components, for example laser surface hardening of fine teeth of files, laser welding of martensitic steel shroud and titanium alloy under-strap of turbine, laser cladding of Ni super-alloy with stellite for refurbishing turbine blades were established using these lasers. Laser alloying of pre-placed SiC coating on different types of aluminum alloy, commercially pure titanium and Ti-6Al-4V alloy, and laser curing of thermosetting powder coating have been also studied. Development of these lasers and results of some of the processing studies are briefly presented here.

Optical coatings on laser crystals for HiPER project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oulehla, Jindrich; Pokorný, Pavel; Lazar, Josef

2011-12-01

In this contribution we present a technology for deposition of interference coatings for optical components designed to operate as active media in power pulsed lasers. The aim of the technology is to prepare crystals for lasers for the HiPER project (High Power laser Energy Research facility) which should demonstrate the feasibility of laser driven fusion as a future energy source. Diode pumped solid state lasers (DPSSL) are the most likely option for fusion ignition. The choice of the material for the lasers' active medium is critical. Some of the most important properties include the ability to be antireflection coated to reduce the energy losses and increase the overall efficiency. This contribution deals with some of the materials considered to be candidates for slabs serving as the active medium of the DPSSLs. We tested Yb:YAG and Yb:CaF2 samples. As large amounts of heat need to be dissipated during laser operation, cryogenic cooling is necessary. Appropriate coating materials and techniques need to be chosen. Therefore differences between available coating techniques are investigated in terms of adhesion, enduring of stress from temperature shocks, etc. Coated samples were placed into cryogenic environment in order to simulate conditions similar to those in real life operation. Optical microscopy was used for coating investigation after the conducted experiments.

Optical coatings on laser crystals for HiPER project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oulehla, Jindrich; Pokorný, Pavel; Lazar, Josef

2011-06-01

In this contribution we present a technology for deposition of interference coatings for optical components designed to operate as active media in power pulsed lasers. The aim of the technology is to prepare crystals for lasers for the HiPER project (High Power laser Energy Research) which should demonstrate the feasibility of laser driven fusion as a future energy source. Diode pumped solid state lasers (DPSSL) are the most likely option for fusion ignition. The choice of material for the lasers active medium is critical. Some of the most important properties include the ability to be antireflection coated to reduce the energy losses and increase the overall efficiency. This contribution deals with some of the materials considered to be candidates for slabs serving as the active medium of the DPSSLs. We tested Yb:YAG, Yb:CaF2 and Yb:KGW samples. As large amounts of heat need to be dissipated during laser operation, cryogenic cooling is necessary. Appropriate coating materials and techniques need to be chosen. Therefore differences between available coating techniques are investigated in terms of adhesion, enduring of stress resulting from temperature shocks, etc. Coated samples were placed in a specially designed cryogenic apparatus in order to simulate conditions similar to those in real life operation. Optical microscopy and spectrophotometer measurements were used for coating investigation after the conducted experiments.

Cr.sup.3+-doped laser materials and lasers and methods of making and using

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alfano, Robert R. (Inventor); Bykov, Alexey (Inventor); Petricevic, Vladimir (Inventor); Sharonov, Mikhail (Inventor)

2008-01-01

A laser medium includes a single crystal of chromium-doped LiSc.sub.l-xIn.sub.xGe.sub.1-ySi.sub.yO.sub.4, where 0.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.1 and 0.ltoreq.y.ltoreq.1. Preferably, x and y are not both 0. A laser, such as a tunable near infrared laser, can contain the laser medium.

Reduction of B-integral accumulation in lasers

DOEpatents

Meyerhofer, David D.; Konoplev, Oleg A.

2000-01-01

A pulsed laser is provided wherein the B-integral accumulated in the laser pulse is reduced using a semiconductor wafer. A laser pulse is generated by a laser pulse source. The laser pulse passes through a semiconductor wafer that has a negative nonlinear index of refraction. Thus, the laser pulse accumulates a negative B-integral. The laser pulse is then fed into a laser amplification medium, which has a positive nonlinear index of refraction. The laser pulse may make a plurality of passes through the laser amplification medium and accumulate a positive B-integral during a positive non-linear phase change. The semiconductor and laser pulse wavelength are chosen such that the negative B-integral accumulated in the semiconductor wafer substantially cancels the positive B-integral accumulated in the laser amplification medium. There may be additional accumulation of positive B-integral if the laser pulse passes through additional optical mediums such as a lens or glass plates. Thus, the effects of self-phase modulation in the laser pulse are substantially reduced.

Laser systems configured to output a spectrally-consolidated laser beam and related methods

DOEpatents

Koplow, Jeffrey P [San Ramon, CA

2012-01-10

A laser apparatus includes a plurality of pumps each of which is configured to emit a corresponding pump laser beam having a unique peak wavelength. The laser apparatus includes a spectral beam combiner configured to combine the corresponding pump laser beams into a substantially spatially-coherent pump laser beam having a pump spectrum that includes the unique peak wavelengths, and first and second selectively reflective elements spaced from each other to define a lasing cavity including a lasing medium therein. The lasing medium generates a plurality of gain spectra responsive to absorbing the pump laser beam. Each gain spectrum corresponds to a respective one of the unique peak wavelengths of the substantially spatially-coherent pump laser beam and partially overlaps with all other ones of the gain spectra. The reflective elements are configured to promote emission of a laser beam from the lasing medium with a peak wavelength common to each gain spectrum.

PT-symmetric laser absorber

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Longhi, Stefano

2010-09-15

In a recent work, Y. D. Chong et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 053901 (2010)] proposed the idea of a coherent perfect absorber (CPA) as the time-reversed counterpart of a laser, in which a purely incoming radiation pattern is completely absorbed by a lossy medium. The optical medium that realizes CPA is obtained by reversing the gain with absorption, and thus it generally differs from the lasing medium. Here it is shown that a laser with an optical medium that satisfies the parity-time (PT) symmetry condition {epsilon}(-r)={epsilon}*(r) for the dielectric constant behaves simultaneously as a laser oscillator (i.e., it canmore » emit outgoing coherent waves) and as a CPA (i.e., it can fully absorb incoming coherent waves with appropriate amplitudes and phases). Such a device can thus be referred to as a PT-symmetric CPA laser. The general amplification or absorption features of the PT CPA laser below lasing threshold driven by two fields are determined.« less

Active mode locking of lasers by piezoelectrically induced diffraction modulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krausz, F.; Turi, L.; Kuti, C.

A new amplitude-modulation mode-locking technique is presented. Acoustic waves are generated directly on the faces of a resonant photoelastic medium. The created standing waves cause a highly efficient diffraction modulation of light. The modulation depth of standing-wave mode lockers is related to material and drive parameters and a figure of merit is introduced. With a lithium niobate crystal modulation depths over 10 are achieved at 1.054 {mu}m and 1 W of radio frequency power. Using this device for the active mode locking of a continuous-wave Nd:glass laser pulses as short as 3.8 ps are produced at a repetition rate ofmore » 66 MHz. Limitations of amplitude-modulation mode locking by standing acoustic waves are discussed.« less

Active mode locking of lasers by piezoelectrically induced diffraction modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krausz, F.; Turi, L.; Kuti, Cs.; Schmidt, A. J.

1990-04-01

A new amplitude-modulation mode-locking technique is presented. Acoustic waves are generated directly on the faces of a resonant photoelastic medium. The created standing waves cause a highly efficient diffraction modulation of light. The modulation depth of standing-wave mode lockers is related to material and drive parameters and a figure of merit is introduced. With a lithium niobate crystal modulation depths over 10 are achieved at 1.054 μm and 1 W of radio frequency power. Using this device for the active mode locking of a continuous-wave Nd:glass laser pulses as short as 3.8 ps are produced at a repetition rate of 66 MHz. Limitations of amplitude-modulation mode locking by standing acoustic waves are discussed.

Efficient Third-Order Distributed Feedback Laser with Enhanced Beam Pattern

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hu, Qing (Inventor); Lee, Alan Wei Min (Inventor); Kao, Tsung-Yu (Inventor)

2015-01-01

A third-order distributed feedback laser has an active medium disposed on a substrate as a linear array of segments having a series of periodically spaced interstices therebetween and a first conductive layer disposed on a surface of the active medium on each of the segments and along a strip from each of the segments to a conductive electrical contact pad for application of current along a path including the active medium. Upon application of a current through the active medium, the active medium functions as an optical waveguide, and there is established an alternating electric field, at a THz frequency, both in the active medium and emerging from the interstices. Spacing of adjacent segments is approximately half of a wavelength of the THz frequency in free space or an odd integral multiple thereof, so that the linear array has a coherence length greater than the length of the linear array.

Information storage medium and method of recording and retrieving information thereon

DOEpatents

Marchant, D. D.; Begej, Stefan

1986-01-01

Information storage medium comprising a semiconductor doped with first and second impurities or dopants. Preferably, one of the impurities is introduced by ion implantation. Conductive electrodes are photolithographically formed on the surface of the medium. Information is recorded on the medium by selectively applying a focused laser beam to discrete regions of the medium surface so as to anneal discrete regions of the medium containing lattice defects introduced by the ion-implanted impurity. Information is retrieved from the storage medium by applying a focused laser beam to annealed and non-annealed regions so as to produce a photovoltaic signal at each region.

Micro-laser

DOEpatents

Hutchinson, Donald P.; Richards, Roger K.

2003-07-22

A micro-laser is disclosed which includes a waveguide, a first and a second subwavelength resonant grating in the waveguide, and at least one photonic band gap resonant structure (PBG) in the waveguide and at least one amplifying medium in the waveguide. PBG features are positioned between the first and second subwavelength resonant gratings and allow introduction of amplifying mediums into the highly resonant guided micro-laser microcavity. The micro-laser may be positioned on a die of a bulk substrate material with one or more electronic and optical devices and may be communicably connected to the same. A method for fabricating a micro-laser is disclosed. A method for tuning the micro-laser is also disclosed. The micro-laser may be used as an optical regenerator, or a light source for data transfer or for optical computing.

High Average Power Laser Gain Medium With Low Optical Distortion Using A Transverse Flowing Liquid Host

DOEpatents

Comaskey, Brian J.; Ault, Earl R.; Kuklo, Thomas C.

2005-07-05

A high average power, low optical distortion laser gain media is based on a flowing liquid media. A diode laser pumping device with tailored irradiance excites the laser active atom, ion or molecule within the liquid media. A laser active component of the liquid media exhibits energy storage times longer than or comparable to the thermal optical response time of the liquid. A circulation system that provides a closed loop for mixing and circulating the lasing liquid into and out of the optical cavity includes a pump, a diffuser, and a heat exchanger. A liquid flow gain cell includes flow straighteners and flow channel compression.

An actively mode-locked fiber laser for sampling in a wide-bandwidth opto-electronic analog-to-digital converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Powers, John P.; Pace, Phillip E.

2008-02-01

We have designed, built and tested an actively mode-locked fiber laser, operating at 1550 nm, for use as the sampling waveform in an opto-electronic analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Analysis shows that, in order to digitize a 10-GHz signal to 10 bits of resolution, the sampling pulsewidth must be less than 2.44 ps, the RMS timing jitter must be below 31.0 fs, and the RMS amplitude jitter must be below 0.195%. Fiber lasers have proven to have the capability to narrowly exceed these operating requirements. The fiber laser is a "sigma" laser consisting of Er-doped gain medium, dispersion-compensating fiber, nonlinear fiber, a Faraday rotation mirror, polarization-maintaining fiber and components, and diode pump lasers. The active mode-locking is achieved by a Mach-Zehnder interferometer modulator, driven by a frequency synthesizer operating at the desired sampling rate. A piezo-electric element is used in a feedback control loop to stabilize the output PRF against environmental changes. Measurements of the laser output revealed the maximum nominal PRF to be 16 GHz, the nominal pulsewidth to be 7.2 ps, and the nominal RNS timing jitter to be 386 fs. Incorporating this laser into a sampling ADC would allow us to sample a 805-MHz bandwidth signal to a resolution of 10 bits as limited by timing jitter. Techniques to reduce the timing-jitter bottleneck are discussed.

Laser-Beam-Absorption Chemical-Species Monitor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gersh, Michael; Goldstein, Neil; Lee, Jamine; Bien, Fritz; Richtsmeier, Steven

1996-01-01

Apparatus measures concentration of chemical species in fluid medium (e.g., gaseous industrial process stream). Directs laser beam through medium, and measures intensity of beam after passage through medium. Relative amount of beam power absorbed in medium indicative of concentration of chemical species; laser wavelength chosen to be one at which species of interest absorbs.

FALCON reactor-pumped laser description and program overview

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

1989-12-01

The FALCON (Fission Activated Laser CONcept) reactor-pumped laser program at Sandia National Laboratories is examining the feasibility of high-power systems pumped directly by the energy from a nuclear reactor. In this concept we use the highly energetic fission fragments from neutron induced fission to excite a large volume laser medium. This technology has the potential to scale to extremely large optical power outputs in a primarily self-powered device. A laser system of this type could also be relatively compact and capable of long run times without refueling.

Development of a solid state laser of Nd:YLF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doamaralneto, R.

The CW laser action was obtained at room temperature of a Nd:YLF crystal in an astigmatically compensated cavity, pumped by an argon laser. This laser was completely projected, constructed and characterized in our laboratories. It initiates a broader project on laser development that will have several applications like nuclear fusion, industry, medicine, telemetry, etc. Throught the study of the optical properties of the Nd:YLF crystal, laser operation was predicted using a small volume gain medium on the mentioned cavity, pumped by an Ar 514,5 nm laser line. To obtain the laser action at polarizations sigma (1,053 (MU)m) and (PI) (1.047 (MU)m) an active medium was prepared which was a crystalline plate with a convenient crystallographic orientation. The laser characterization is in reasonable agreement with the initial predictions. For a 3.5% output mirror transmission, the oscillation threshold is about 0.15 W incident on the crystal, depending upon the sample used. For 1 W of incident pump light, the output power is estimated to be 12 mw, which corresponds to almost 1.5% slope efficiency. The versatile arrangement is applicable to almost all optically pumped solid state laser materials.

Pulse Repetition Frequency Effects In A High Average Power X-Ray Preionised Excimer Laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fontaine, Bernard L.; Forestier, Bernard M.; Delaporte, Philippe C.; Canarelli, Patrick

1989-10-01

Experimental study of waves damping in a high repetition rate excimer laser is undertaken. Excitation of laser active medium in a subsonic loop is achieved by means of a classical discharge, through transfer capacitors. The discharge stability is controlled by a wire ion plasma (w.i.p.) X-rays gun. The strong acoustic waves induced by the active medium excitation may lead to a decrease, at high PRF, of the energy per pulse. First results of the influence of a damping of induced density perturbations between two successive pulses are presented.

The simulation study on optical target laser active detection performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ying-chun; Hou, Zhao-fei; Fan, Youchen

2014-12-01

According to the working principle of laser active detection system, the paper establishes the optical target laser active detection simulation system, carry out the simulation study on the detection process and detection performance of the system. For instance, the performance model such as the laser emitting, the laser propagation in the atmosphere, the reflection of optical target, the receiver detection system, the signal processing and recognition. We focus on the analysis and modeling the relationship between the laser emitting angle and defocus amount and "cat eye" effect echo laser in the reflection of optical target. Further, in the paper some performance index such as operating range, SNR and the probability of the system have been simulated. The parameters including laser emitting parameters, the reflection of the optical target and the laser propagation in the atmosphere which make a great influence on the performance of the optical target laser active detection system. Finally, using the object-oriented software design methods, the laser active detection system with the opening type, complete function and operating platform, realizes the process simulation that the detection system detect and recognize the optical target, complete the performance simulation of each subsystem, and generate the data report and the graph. It can make the laser active detection system performance models more intuitive because of the visible simulation process. The simulation data obtained from the system provide a reference to adjust the structure of the system parameters. And it provides theoretical and technical support for the top level design of the optical target laser active detection system and performance index optimization.

The use of laser in hysteroscopic surgery.

PubMed

Nappi, Luigi; Sorrentino, Felice; Angioni, Stefano; Pontis, Alessandro; Greco, Pantaleo

2016-12-01

The term laser, an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation, covers a wide range of devices. Lasers are commonly described by the emitted wavelength that covers the entire light spectrum from infrared to ultraviolet and the active lasing medium. Currently, over forty different types of lasers have found application in medicine. Moreover, advances made by gynecologists in the field of operative hysteroscopy have developed a very great interest in the use of surgical lasers. Technical improvements in hysteroscopes and lasers have led several gynecologists to evaluate their use in the surgical treatment of intrauterine pathologies. This narrative review concerns the most common used lasers in hysteroscopic surgery with particular attention to the latest promising results of the laser technology.

Organic Solid-State Tri-Wavelength Lasing from Holographic Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal and a Distributed Feedback Laser with a Doped Laser Dye and a Semiconducting Polymer Film.

PubMed

Liu, Minghuan; Liu, Yonggang; Peng, Zenghui; Wang, Shaoxin; Wang, Qidong; Mu, Quanquan; Cao, Zhaoliang; Xuan, Li

2017-05-07

Organic solid-state tri-wavelength lasing was demonstrated from dye-doped holographic polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (HPDLC) distributed feedback (DFB) laser with semiconducting polymer poly[-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene-vinylene] (MEH-PPV) and laser dye [4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(p-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran] (DCM) by a one-step holography technique, which centered at 605.5 nm, 611.9 nm, and 671.1 nm. The temperature-dependence tuning range for the tri-wavelength dye-doped HPDLC DFB laser was as high as 8 nm. The lasing emission from the 9th order HPDLC DFB laser with MEH-PPV as active medium was also investigated, which showed excellent s-polarization characterization. The diffraction order is 9th and 8th for the dual-wavelength lasing with DCM as the active medium. The results of this work provide a method for constructing the compact and cost-effective all solid-state smart laser systems, which may find application in scientific and applied research where multi-wavelength radiation is required.

Gain and losses in THz quantum cascade laser with metal-metal waveguide.

PubMed

Martl, Michael; Darmo, Juraj; Deutsch, Christoph; Brandstetter, Martin; Andrews, Aaron Maxwell; Klang, Pavel; Strasser, Gottfried; Unterrainer, Karl

2011-01-17

Coupling of broadband terahertz pulses into metal-metal terahertz quantum cascade lasers is presented. Mode matched terahertz transients are generated on the quantum cascade laser facet of subwavelength dimension. This method provides a full overlap of optical mode and active laser medium. A longitudinal optical-phonon depletion based active region design is investigated in a coupled cavity configuration. Modulation experiments reveal spectral gain and (broadband) losses. The observed gain shows high dynamic behavior when switching from loss to gain around threshold and is clamped at total laser losses.

Important factors for cell-membrane permeabilization by gold nanoparticles activated by nanosecond-laser irradiation

PubMed Central

Yao, Cuiping; Rudnitzki, Florian; Hüttmann, Gereon; Zhang, Zhenxi; Rahmanzadeh, Ramtin

2017-01-01

Purpose Pulsed-laser irradiation of light-absorbing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) attached to cells transiently increases cell membrane permeability for targeted molecule delivery. Here, we targeted EGFR on the ovarian carcinoma cell line OVCAR-3 with AuNPs. In order to optimize membrane permeability and to demonstrate molecule delivery into adherent OVCAR-3 cells, we systematically investigated different experimental conditions. Materials and methods AuNPs (30 nm) were functionalized by conjugation of the antibody cetuximab against EGFR. Selective binding of the particles was demonstrated by silver staining, multiphoton imaging, and fluorescence-lifetime imaging. After laser irradiation, membrane permeability of OVCAR-3 cells was studied under different conditions of AuNP concentration, cell-incubation medium, and cell–AuNP incubation time. Membrane permeability and cell viability were evaluated by flow cytometry, measuring propidium iodide and fluorescein isothiocyanate–dextran uptake. Results Adherently growing OVCAR-3 cells can be effectively targeted with EGFR-AuNP. Laser irradiation led to successful permeabilization, and 150 kDa dextran was successfully delivered into cells with about 70% efficiency. Conclusion Antibody-targeted and laser-irradiated AuNPs can be used to deliver molecules into adherent cells. Efficacy depends not only on laser parameters but also on AuNP:cell ratio, cell-incubation medium, and cell–AuNP incubation time. PMID:28848345

Use of a laser beam with an oblique angle of incidence to measure the reduced scattering coefficient of a turbid medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Lihong; Jacques, Steven L.

1995-05-01

A simple and quick approach is used to measure the reduced scattering coefficient ( mu s `) of a semi-infinite turbid medium having a much smaller absorption coefficient than mu s`. A laser beam with an oblique angle of incidence to the medium causes the center of the diffuse reflectance that is several transport mean-free paths away from the incident point to shift away from the point of incidence by an amount Delta x. This amount is used to compute mu s` by mu s` = sin( alpha i)/(n Delta x), where n is the refractive index of the turbid medium divided by that of the incident medium and alpha i is the angle of incidence measured from the surface normal. For a turbid medium having an absorption coefficient comparable with mu s `, a revision to the above formula is made. This method is tested theoretically by Monte Carlo simulations and experimentally by a video reflectometer.

Toward the realization of erbium-doped GaN bulk crystals as a gain medium for high energy lasers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sun, Z. Y.; Li, J.; Zhao, W. P.

Er-doped GaN (Er:GaN) is a promising candidate as a gain medium for solid-state high energy lasers (HELs) at the technologically important and eye-safe 1.54 μm wavelength window, as GaN has superior thermal properties over traditional laser gain materials such as Nd:YAG. However, the attainment of wafer-scale Er:GaN bulk or quasi-bulk crystals is a prerequisite to realize the full potential of Er:GaN as a gain medium for HELs. We report the realization of freestanding Er:GaN wafers of 2-in. in diameter with a thickness on the millimeter scale. These freestanding wafers were obtained via growth by hydride vapor phase epitaxy in conjunction withmore » a laser-lift-off process. An Er doping level of 1.4 × 10{sup 20} atoms/cm{sup 3} has been confirmed by secondary ion mass spectrometry measurements. The freestanding Er:GaN wafers exhibit strong photoluminescent emission at 1.54 μm with its emission intensity increasing dramatically with wafer thickness under 980 nm resonant excitation. A low thermal quenching of 10% was measured for the 1.54 μm emission intensity between 10 K and 300 K. This work represents a significant step in providing a practical approach for producing Er:GaN materials with sufficient thicknesses and dimensions to enable the design of gain media in various geometries, allowing for the production of HELs with improved lasing efficiency, atmosphere transmission, and eye-safety.« less

High energy KrCl electric discharge laser

DOEpatents

Sze, Robert C.; Scott, Peter B.

1981-01-01

A high energy KrCl laser for producing coherent radiation at 222 nm. Output energies on the order of 100 mJ per pulse are produced utilizing a discharge excitation source to minimize formation of molecular ions, thereby minimizing absorption of laser radiation by the active medium. Additionally, HCl is used as a halogen donor which undergoes a harpooning reaction with metastable Kr.sub.M * to form KrCl.

High energy KrCl electric discharge laser

DOEpatents

Sze, R.C.; Scott, P.B.

A high energy KrCl laser is presented for producing coherent radiation at 222 nm. Output energies on the order of 100 mJ per pulse are produced utilizing a discharge excitation source to minimize formation of molecular ions, thereby minimizing absorption of laser radiation by the active medium. Additionally, HCl is used as a halogen donor which undergoes a harpooning reaction with metastable Kr/sub M/ to form KrCl.

Thin disk laser with unstable resonator and reduced output coupler

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavili, Anwar; Shayganmanesh, Mahdi

2018-05-01

In this paper, feasibility of using unstable resonator with reduced output coupling in a thin disk laser is studied theoretically. Unstable resonator is modeled by wave-optics using Collins integral and iterative method. An Yb:YAG crystal with 250 micron thickness is considered as a quasi-three level active medium and modeled by solving rate equations of energy levels populations. The amplification of laser beam in the active medium is calculated based on the Beer-Lambert law and Rigrod method. Using generalized beam parameters method, laser beam parameters like, width, divergence, M2 factor, output power as well as near and far-field beam profiles are calculated for unstable resonator. It is demonstrated that for thin disk laser (with single disk) in spite of the low thickness of the disk which leads to low gain factor, it is possible to use unstable resonator (with reduced output coupling) and achieve good output power with appropriate beam quality. Also, the behavior of output power and beam quality versus equivalent Fresnel number is investigated and optimized value of output coupling for maximum output power is achieved.

Quantum cascade lasers (QCL) for active hyperspectral imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Quankui; Fuchs, Frank; Wagner, Joachim

2014-04-01

There is an increasing demand for wavelength agile laser sources covering the mid-infrared (MIR, 3.5-12 µm) wavelength range, among others in active imaging. The MIR range comprises a particularly interesting part of the electromagnetic spectrum for active hyperspectral imaging applications, due to the fact that the characteristic `fingerprint' absorption spectra of many chemical compounds lie in that range. Conventional semiconductor diode laser technology runs out of steam at such long wavelengths. For many applications, MIR coherent light sources based on solid state lasers in combination with optical parametric oscillators are too complex and thus bulky and expensive. In contrast, quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) constitute a class of very compact and robust semiconductor-based lasers, which are able to cover the mentioned wavelength range using the same semiconductor material system. In this tutorial, a brief review will be given on the state-of-the-art of QCL technology. Special emphasis will be addressed on QCL variants with well-defined spectral properties and spectral tunability. As an example for the use of wavelength agile QCL for active hyperspectral imaging, stand-off detection of explosives based on imaging backscattering laser spectroscopy will be discussed.

Analysis of the restricting factors of laser countermeasure active detection technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yufa; Sun, Xiaoquan

2016-07-01

The detection effect of laser active detection system is affected by various kinds of factors. In view of the application requirement of laser active detection, the influence factors for laser active detection are analyzed. The mathematical model of cat eye target detection distance has been built, influence of the parameters of laser detection system and the environment on detection range and the detection efficiency are analyzed. Various parameters constraint detection performance is simulated. The results show that the discovery distance of laser active detection is affected by the laser divergence angle, the incident angle and the visibility of the atmosphere. For a given detection range, the laser divergence angle and the detection efficiency are mutually restricted. Therefore, in view of specific application environment, it is necessary to select appropriate laser detection parameters to achieve optimal detection effect.

Electro-Optic Diffraction Grating Tuned Laser.

DTIC Science & Technology

The patent concerns an electro - optic diffraction grating tuned laser comprising a laser medium, output mirror, retro-reflective grating and an electro - optic diffraction grating beam deflector positioned between the laser medium and the reflective diffraction grating. An optional angle multiplier may be used between the electro - optic diffraction grating and the reflective grating.

On the mechanism of pulsed laser ablation of phthalocyanine nanoparticles in an aqueous medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kogan, Boris; Malimonenko, Nicholas; Butenin, Alexander; Novoseletsky, Nicholas; Chizhikov, Sergei

2018-06-01

Laser ablation of phthalocyanine nanoparticles has potential for cancer treatment. The ablation is accompanied by the formation of microbubbles and the sublimation of nanoparticles. This was investigated in a liquid medium simulating tissue using optical-acoustic and spectral-luminescent methods. The thresholds for the appearance of microbubbles have been determined as a function of nanoparticle size. For the minimal size particles (80 nm) this threshold is equal to about 20–25 mJ cm‑2 and for the maximal size particles (230 nm) this threshold is equal to about 7 mJ cm‑2. It was estimated that the particle temperature at which bubbles arise is near 145 °С.

Part 1: Classical laser. Part 2: The effect of velocity changing collisions on the output of a gas laser. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borenstein, M.

1972-01-01

A classical model for laser action is discussed, in which an active medium consisting of anharmonic oscillators interacts with an electromagnetic field in a resonant cavity. Comparison with the case of a medium consisting of harmonic oscillators shows the significance of nonlinearities for producing self-sustained oscillations in the radiation field. A theoretical model is presented for the pressure dependence of the intensity of a gas laser, in which only velocity-changing collisions with foreign gas atoms are included. A collision model for hard sphere, repulsive interactions was derived. Collision theory was applied to a third-order expansion of the polarization in powers of the cavity electric field (weak signal theory).

Laser and optics activities at CREOL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stickley, C.M.

1995-06-01

CREOL is an interdisciplinary institute with a mission to foster and support research and education in the optical and laser sciences and engineering. CREOL`s principal members are its 21-strong faculty. The faculty are encouraged and supported in developing, maintaining, and expanding innovative and sponsored research programs, especially ones that are coupled to industry`s needs. The CREOL Director and Assistant Director, through empowerment by the CREOL faculty, coordinate and oversee the interactive, interdisciplinary projects of the faculty, the 85 graduate students and the 39 research staff. CREOL integrates these research efforts with the general educational mission and goals of the university,more » develops comprehensive course work in the optical and laser sciences and engineering, provides guidance and instruction to graduate students, administers MS and PhD programs, and provides facilities, funds, and administrative support to assist the faculty in carrying out CREOL`s mission and obtaining financial support for the research projects. CREOL`s specific areas of research activity include the following: IR systems; nonlinear optics; crystal growth; nonlinear integrated optics; new solid-state lasers; tunable far-infrared lasers; thin-film optics; theory; semiconductor lasers; x-ray/optical scattering; laser-induced damage; free-electron lasers; solid-state spectroscopy; x-ray sources and applications; laser propagation; laser processing of materials; optical design; optical limiting/sensor protection; diffractive optics; quantum well optoelectronics; dense plasmas/high-field physics; laser radar and remote sensing; diode-based lasers; and glass science.« less

Kinetics of the Active Medium of a Copper Vapor Brightness Amplifier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulagin, A. E.; Torgaev, S. N.; Evtushenko, G. S.; Trigub, M. V.

2018-03-01

A spatiotemporal kinetics of the active medium of a copper vapor brightness amplifier is described that allows gain characteristics to be investigated during the pump pulse. Model calculations show that changing the discharge parameters allows the radial gain profiles to be improved significantly, as well as the gain and the inversion duration to be increased. The data obtained will be used to choose the operating conditions for the active medium in the brightness amplifier mode.

On the Formation Mechanism of Interference Rings in the Ablation Area on the Condensed Medium Surface under Irradiation with Femtosecond Laser Pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bykovskii, N. E.; Senatskii, Yu. V.

2018-02-01

The dynamics of Newton interference rings appearing in the ablation area on the surface of various condensed media under irradiation with femtosecond laser pulses is analyzed (according to published data on fs ablation). The data on the refractive index evolution in the expanding material cloud from the metal, semiconductor, and dielectric surface, obtained by interference pattern processing. The mechanism of the concentration of the energy absorbed by a medium from the laser beam in the thin layer under the irradiated sample surface is considered. The appearance of the inner layer with increased energy release explains why the ablation process from the metal, semiconductor, and dielectric surface, despite the differences in their compositions and radiation absorption mechanisms, occurs similarly, i.e., with the formation of a thin shell at the outer ablation cloud boundary, which consists of a condensed medium reflecting radiation and, together with the target surface, forms a structure necessary for interference formation.

Value added cleaning and disinfection of the root canal: laser-activated irrigation and laser-induced photoporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Moor, Roeland J. G.; Meire, Maarten A.

2016-03-01

Among present-day marketed systems ultrasonic activation appears to be the best way to activate and potentiate endodontic irrigants. An alternative for ultrasonic activation of irrigants is laser activated irrigation (LAI) or photoninitiated acoustic streaming. Based on present-day research it appears that LAI (especially with Erbium lasers) can be more efficient for debris removal out of root canals and interaction with the endodontic biofilms thanks to the induction of specific cavitation phenomena and acoustic streaming. Other wavelengths are now explored to be used for LAI. Another way to interact with biofilms is to rely on laser-induced photoporation in combination with gold nanoparticles ( AuNPs). The latter is an alternative physical method for delivering macromolecules in cells. Nanosized membrane pores can be created upon pulsed laser illumination. Depending on the laser energy, pores are created through either direct heating of the AuNPs or by vapour nanobubbles that can emerge around the AuNPs.

CO.sub.2 laser

DOEpatents

Rink, John P.

1977-01-01

The disclosure relates to a pulsed gas laser comprising an optical resonant cavity, a CO.sub.2 lasing medium, structure for containing the CO.sub.2 lasing medium within the optical cavity and a device for causing a population inversion in the lasing medium, with a novel improvement comprising structure for causing a laser pulse comprising a wavelength in the near 14 .mu.m and near 16 .mu.m range. The structure for cooling the CO.sub.2 lasing medium to less than about -40.degree. C as well is a structure for pumping the maximum inversion of CO.sub.2 molecules within the lasing medium by minimizing the population in the 010 level.

Laser technology and applications in gynaecology.

PubMed

Adelman, M R; Tsai, L J; Tangchitnob, E P; Kahn, B S

2013-04-01

The term 'laser' is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Lasers are commonly described by the emitted wavelength, which determines the colour of the light, as well as the active lasing medium. Currently, over 40 types of lasers have been developed with a wide range of both industrial and medical uses. Gas and solid-state lasers are frequently used in surgical applications, with CO2 and Ar being the most common examples of gas lasers, and the Nd:YAG and KTP:YAG being the most common examples of solid-state lasers. At present, it appears that the CO2, Nd:YAG, and KTP lasers provide alternative methods for achieving similar results, as opposed to superior results, when compared with traditional endoscopic techniques, such as cold-cutting monopolar and bipolar energy. This review focuses on the physics, tissue interaction, safety and applications of commonly used lasers in gynaecological surgery.

212-Angstrom neonlike zinc laser of LULI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jamelot, Gerard; Jaegle, Pierre; Rus, Bedrich; Carillon, Antoine; Klisnick, Annie; Nantel, Marc; Sebban, Stephane; Albert, F.; Zeitoun, Philippe; Plankl, E.; Sirgand, A.; Lewis, Ciaran L. S.; MacPhee, Andrew G.; Tallents, Gregory J.; Krishnan, J.; Holden, M.

1995-09-01

The main feature of x-ray laser research at LULI is the development of a saturated laser at 212 angstrom with a relatively small pump laser of 0.4 kJ in 600 ps. The laser works with the 3p- 3s J equals O yields 1 transition of neon-like zinc, by using the double-pass of amplified radiation in the active medium. Plasma parameters (temperature, density, homogeneity), and x-ray laser emission properties (intensity, pointing angle, divergence, and coherence) have been studied. Lasing action needs the main laser pulse to be preceded by a ten-prepulse train (contrast ratio less than 103) due to the remnant oscillator. The effect of a single prepulse was investigated as a function of contrast ratio and delay between the prepulse and the main pulse.

Neuronal medium that supports basic synaptic functions and activity of human neurons in vitro.

PubMed

Bardy, Cedric; van den Hurk, Mark; Eames, Tameji; Marchand, Cynthia; Hernandez, Ruben V; Kellogg, Mariko; Gorris, Mark; Galet, Ben; Palomares, Vanessa; Brown, Joshua; Bang, Anne G; Mertens, Jerome; Böhnke, Lena; Boyer, Leah; Simon, Suzanne; Gage, Fred H

2015-05-19

Human cell reprogramming technologies offer access to live human neurons from patients and provide a new alternative for modeling neurological disorders in vitro. Neural electrical activity is the essence of nervous system function in vivo. Therefore, we examined neuronal activity in media widely used to culture neurons. We found that classic basal media, as well as serum, impair action potential generation and synaptic communication. To overcome this problem, we designed a new neuronal medium (BrainPhys basal + serum-free supplements) in which we adjusted the concentrations of inorganic salts, neuroactive amino acids, and energetic substrates. We then tested that this medium adequately supports neuronal activity and survival of human neurons in culture. Long-term exposure to this physiological medium also improved the proportion of neurons that were synaptically active. The medium was designed to culture human neurons but also proved adequate for rodent neurons. The improvement in BrainPhys basal medium to support neurophysiological activity is an important step toward reducing the gap between brain physiological conditions in vivo and neuronal models in vitro.

Neuronal medium that supports basic synaptic functions and activity of human neurons in vitro

PubMed Central

Bardy, Cedric; van den Hurk, Mark; Eames, Tameji; Marchand, Cynthia; Hernandez, Ruben V.; Kellogg, Mariko; Gorris, Mark; Galet, Ben; Palomares, Vanessa; Brown, Joshua; Bang, Anne G.; Mertens, Jerome; Böhnke, Lena; Boyer, Leah; Simon, Suzanne; Gage, Fred H.

2015-01-01

Human cell reprogramming technologies offer access to live human neurons from patients and provide a new alternative for modeling neurological disorders in vitro. Neural electrical activity is the essence of nervous system function in vivo. Therefore, we examined neuronal activity in media widely used to culture neurons. We found that classic basal media, as well as serum, impair action potential generation and synaptic communication. To overcome this problem, we designed a new neuronal medium (BrainPhys basal + serum-free supplements) in which we adjusted the concentrations of inorganic salts, neuroactive amino acids, and energetic substrates. We then tested that this medium adequately supports neuronal activity and survival of human neurons in culture. Long-term exposure to this physiological medium also improved the proportion of neurons that were synaptically active. The medium was designed to culture human neurons but also proved adequate for rodent neurons. The improvement in BrainPhys basal medium to support neurophysiological activity is an important step toward reducing the gap between brain physiological conditions in vivo and neuronal models in vitro. PMID:25870293

Monolithically, widely tunable quantum cascade lasers based on a heterogeneous active region design.

PubMed

Zhou, Wenjia; Bandyopadhyay, Neelanjan; Wu, Donghai; McClintock, Ryan; Razeghi, Manijeh

2016-06-08

Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) have become important laser sources for accessing the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral range, achieving watt-level continuous wave operation in a compact package at room temperature. However, up to now, wavelength tuning, which is desirable for most applications, has relied on external cavity feedback or exhibited a limited monolithic tuning range. Here we demonstrate a widely tunable QCL source over the 6.2 to 9.1 μm wavelength range with a single emitting aperture by integrating an eight-laser sampled grating distributed feedback laser array with an on-chip beam combiner. The laser gain medium is based on a five-core heterogeneous QCL wafer. A compact tunable laser system was built to drive the individual lasers within the array and produce any desired wavelength within the available spectral range. A rapid, broadband spectral measurement (520 cm(-1)) of methane using the tunable laser source shows excellent agreement to a measurement made using a standard low-speed infrared spectrometer. This monolithic, widely tunable laser technology is compact, with no moving parts, and will open new opportunities for MIR spectroscopy and chemical sensing.

Monolithically, widely tunable quantum cascade lasers based on a heterogeneous active region design

PubMed Central

Zhou, Wenjia; Bandyopadhyay, Neelanjan; Wu, Donghai; McClintock, Ryan; Razeghi, Manijeh

2016-01-01

Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) have become important laser sources for accessing the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral range, achieving watt-level continuous wave operation in a compact package at room temperature. However, up to now, wavelength tuning, which is desirable for most applications, has relied on external cavity feedback or exhibited a limited monolithic tuning range. Here we demonstrate a widely tunable QCL source over the 6.2 to 9.1 μm wavelength range with a single emitting aperture by integrating an eight-laser sampled grating distributed feedback laser array with an on-chip beam combiner. The laser gain medium is based on a five-core heterogeneous QCL wafer. A compact tunable laser system was built to drive the individual lasers within the array and produce any desired wavelength within the available spectral range. A rapid, broadband spectral measurement (520 cm−1) of methane using the tunable laser source shows excellent agreement to a measurement made using a standard low-speed infrared spectrometer. This monolithic, widely tunable laser technology is compact, with no moving parts, and will open new opportunities for MIR spectroscopy and chemical sensing. PMID:27270634

Optical activity via Kerr nonlinearity in a spinning chiral medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Anwar Ali; Bacha, Bakht Amin; Khan, Rahmat Ali

2016-11-01

Optical activity is investigated in a chiral medium by employing the four level cascade atomic model, in which the optical responses of the atomic medium are studied with Kerr nonlinearity. Light entering into a chiral medium splits into circular birefringent beams. The angle of divergence between the circular birefringent beams and the polarization states of the two light beams is manipulated with Kerr nonlinearity. In the stationary chiral medium the angle of divergence between the circular birefringent beams is calculated to be 1.3 radian. Furthermore, circular birefringence is optically controlled in a spinning chiral medium, where the maximum rotary photon drag angle for left (right) circularly polarized beam is ±1.1 (±1.5) microradian. The change in the angle of divergence between circular birefringent beams by rotary photon drag is calculated to be 0.4 microradian. The numerical results may help to understand image designing, image coding, discovery of photonic crystals and optical sensing technology.

Frequency stabilization of diode-laser-pumped solid state lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byer, Robert L.

1988-01-01

The goal of the NASA Sunlite program is to fly two diode-laser-pumped solid-state lasers on the space shuttle and while doing so to perform a measurement of their frequency stability and temporal coherence. These measurements will be made by combining the outputs of the two lasers on an optical radiation detector and spectrally analyzing the beat note. Diode-laser-pumped solid-state lasers have several characteristics that will make them useful in space borne experiments. First, this laser has high electrical efficiency. Second, it is of a technology that enables scaling to higher powers in the future. Third, the laser can be made extremely reliable, which is crucial for many space based applications. Fourth, they are frequency and amplitude stable and have high temporal coherence. Diode-laser-pumped solid-state lasers are inherently efficient. Recent results have shown 59 percent slope efficiency for a diode-laser-pumped solid-state laser. As for reliability, the laser proposed should be capable of continuous operation. This is possible because the diode lasers can be remote from the solid state gain medium by coupling through optical fibers. Diode lasers are constructed with optical detectors for monitoring their output power built into their mounting case. A computer can actively monitor the output of each diode laser. If it sees any variation in the output power that might indicate a problem, the computer can turn off that diode laser and turn on a backup diode laser. As for stability requirements, it is now generally believed that any laser can be stabilized if the laser has a frequency actuator capable of tuning the laser frequency as far as it is likely to drift in a measurement time.

Blackbody emission from light interacting with an effective moving dispersive medium.

PubMed

Petev, M; Westerberg, N; Moss, D; Rubino, E; Rimoldi, C; Cacciatori, S L; Belgiorno, F; Faccio, D

2013-07-26

Intense laser pulses excite a nonlinear polarization response that may create an effective flowing medium and, under appropriate conditions, a blocking horizon for light. Here, we analyze in detail the interaction of light with such laser-induced flowing media, fully accounting for the medium dispersion properties. An analytical model based on a first Born approximation is found to be in excellent agreement with numerical simulations based on Maxwell's equations and shows that when a blocking horizon is formed, the stimulated medium scatters light with a blackbody emission spectrum. Based on these results, diamond is proposed as a promising candidate medium for future studies of Hawking emission from artificial, dispersive horizons.

Simulations on false gain in recombination-pumped soft-X-ray lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozaki, T.; Kuroda, H.

1997-10-01

Numerical investigations are performed on false gain due to axial plasma expansion, which is expected to be important in initial proof-of-principle studies of recombination-pumped soft-X-ray lasers with extended capabilities. Modelling calculations of experiments with slab boron nitride targets reveal large false gain coefficients approaching 20 cm-1 in the case of plasmas with short active medium lengths. The false gain in the case of fiber targets is found to be of equal magnitude to that for slabs in the case of plasmas with less than 0.1 cm active medium lengths. Calculations for slab targets predict that adopting a tolerance of ǃ cm-1 for gain will severely restrict the time and the active medium length of the plasma that can be used for error-free observations, while those for fiber targets are found to be considerably relaxed. The effects of false gain in the 54.2 + Na Balmer ! laser is also investigated, again revealing the importance of this phenomena under optimum gain conditions.

Real weld geometry determining mechanical properties of high power laser welded medium plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Sang; Mi, Gaoyang; Yan, Fei; Wang, Chunming; Li, Peigen

2018-06-01

Weld width is commonly used as one of main factors to assess joint performances in laser welding. However, it changes significantly through the thickness direction in conditions of medium or thick plates. In this study, high-power autogenous laser welding was conducted on 7 mm thickness 201 stainless steel to elucidate the factor of whole weld transverse shape critically affecting the mechanical properties with the aim of predicting the performance visually through the weld appearance. The results show that single variation of welding parameters could result in great changes of weld pool figures and subsequently weld transverse shapes. All the obtained welds are composed of austenite containing small amount of cellular dendritic δ-Ferrite. The 0.2% proof stresses of Nail- and Peanut-shaped joint reach 458 MPa and 454 MPa, 88.2% and 87.5% of the base material respectively, while that of Wedge-shaped joint only comes to 371 MPa, 71.5% of the base material. The deterioration effect is believed to be caused by the axial grain zone in the weld center. The fatigue strength of joint P is a bit lower than N, but much better than W. Significant deformation incompatibility through the whole thickness and microstructure resistance to crack initiation should be responsible for the poor performance of W-shaped joints.

Computing Radiative Transfer in a 3D Medium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Von Allmen, Paul; Lee, Seungwon

2012-01-01

A package of software computes the time-dependent propagation of a narrow laser beam in an arbitrary three- dimensional (3D) medium with absorption and scattering, using the transient-discrete-ordinates method and a direct integration method. Unlike prior software that utilizes a Monte Carlo method, this software enables simulation at very small signal-to-noise ratios. The ability to simulate propagation of a narrow laser beam in a 3D medium is an improvement over other discrete-ordinate software. Unlike other direct-integration software, this software is not limited to simulation of propagation of thermal radiation with broad angular spread in three dimensions or of a laser pulse with narrow angular spread in two dimensions. Uses for this software include (1) computing scattering of a pulsed laser beam on a material having given elastic scattering and absorption profiles, and (2) evaluating concepts for laser-based instruments for sensing oceanic turbulence and related measurements of oceanic mixed-layer depths. With suitable augmentation, this software could be used to compute radiative transfer in ultrasound imaging in biological tissues, radiative transfer in the upper Earth crust for oil exploration, and propagation of laser pulses in telecommunication applications.

Amplitude and polarization asymmetries in a ring laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campbell, L. L.; Buholz, N. E.

1971-01-01

Asymmetric amplitude effects between the oppositely directed traveling waves in a He-Ne ring laser are analyzed both theoretically and experimentally. These effects make it possible to detect angular orientations of an inner-cavity bar with respect to the plane of the ring cavity. The amplitude asymmetries occur when a birefringent bar is placed in the three-mirror ring cavity, and an axial magnetic field is applied to the active medium. A simplified theoretical analysis is performed by using a first order perturbation theory to derive an expression for the polarization of the active medium, and a set of self-consistent equations are derived to predict threshold conditions. Polarization asymmetries between the oppositely directed waves are also predicted. Amplitude asymmetries similar in nature to those predicted at threshold occur when the laser is operating in 12-15 free-running modes, and polarization asymmetry occurs simultaneously.

High power diode pumped solid state (DPSS) laser systems active media robust modeling and analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kashef, Tamer M.; Mokhtar, Ayman M.; Ghoniemy, Samy A.

2018-02-01

Diode side-pumped solid-state lasers have the potential to yield high quality laser beams with high efficiency and reliability. This paper summarizes the results of simulation of the most predominant active media that are used in high power diode pumped solid-state (DPSS) laser systems. Nd:YAG, Nd:glass, and Nd:YLF rods laser systems were simulated using the special finite element analysis software program LASCAD. A performance trade off analysis for Nd:YAG, Nd:glass, and Nd:YLF rods was performed in order to predict the system optimized parameters and to investigate thermally induced thermal fracture that may occur due to heat load and mechanical stress. The simulation results showed that at the optimized values Nd:YAG rod achieved the highest output power of 175W with 43% efficiency and heat load of 1.873W/mm3. A negligible changes in laser output power, heat load, stress, and temperature distributions were observed when the Nd:YAG rod length was increased from 72 to 80mm. Simulation of Nd:glass at different rod diameters at the same pumping conditions showed better results for mechanical stress and thermal load than that of Nd:YAG and Nd:YLF which makes it very suitable for high power laser applications especially for large rod diameters. For large rod diameters Nd:YLF is mechanically weaker and softer crystal compared to Nd:YAG and Nd:glass due to its poor thermomechanical properties which limits its usage to only low to medium power systems.

ACTIVE MEDIA: BaY2F8 single crystals doped with rare-earth ions as promising up-conversion media for UV and VUV lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pushkar', A. A.; Uvarova, T. V.; Molchanov, V. N.

2008-04-01

BaY2F8 crystals are studied as promising active media for UV and VUV lasers. The up-conversion pumping of rare-earth activators is proposed to solve problems related to the solarisation of the medium and the selection of pump sources. The technology of growing oriented BaY2F8 single crystals is developed and the influence of the crystal orientation on the growth rate and quality of single crystals is determined.

Fast-axial turbulent flow CO2 laser output characteristics and scaling parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dembovetsky, V. V.; Zavalova, Valentina Y.; Zavalov, Yuri N.

1996-04-01

The paper presents the experimental results of evaluating the output characteristics of TLA- 600 carbon-dioxide laser with axial turbulent gas flow, as well as the results of numerical modeling. The output characteristic and spatial distribution of laser beam were measured with regard to specific energy input, working mixture pressure, active media length and output mirror reflection. The paper presents the results of experimental and theoretical study and design decisions on a succession of similar type industrial carbon-dioxide lasers with fast-axial gas-flow and dc discharge excitation of active medium developed at NICTL RAN. As an illustration, characteristics of the TLA-600 laser are cited.

Coupled-resonator vertical-cavity lasers with two active gain regions

DOEpatents

Fischer, Arthur J.; Choquette, Kent D.; Chow, Weng W.

2003-05-20

A new class of coupled-resonator vertical-cavity semiconductor lasers has been developed. These lasers have multiple resonant cavities containing regions of active laser media, resulting in a multi-terminal laser component with a wide range of novel properties.

Active imaging system with Faraday filter

DOEpatents

Snyder, James J.

1993-01-01

An active imaging system has a low to medium powered laser transmitter and receiver wherein the receiver includes a Faraday filter with an ultranarrow optical bandpass and a bare (nonintensified) CCD camera. The laser is locked in the vicinity of the passband of the Faraday filter. The system has high sensitivity to the laser illumination while eliminating solar background.

Active imaging system with Faraday filter

DOEpatents

Snyder, J.J.

1993-04-13

An active imaging system has a low to medium powered laser transmitter and receiver wherein the receiver includes a Faraday filter with an ultranarrow optical bandpass and a bare (nonintensified) CCD camera. The laser is locked in the vicinity of the passband of the Faraday filter. The system has high sensitivity to the laser illumination while eliminating solar background.

Method and apparatus for an increased output for a pumped laser using a moving aperture

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

LaPlante, M.J.; Bender, H.A. III; Carbaugh, W.D. Jr.

1993-08-03

An enhanced pumped laser system is described comprising: (a) at least one laser medium for forming a laser beam, said laser beam having a laser beam axis, (b) at least one means for pumping at least a portion of said at least one laser medium, wherein said pumping causes a population inversion in at least a portion of said at least one laser medium, (c) at least one means for defining an allowable laser beam path, wherein said allowable laser beam path is smaller than the cross-section of said at least one laser medium, (d) at least one means formore » sweeping said allowable laser beam path through said population inverted region of said at least one laser medium, (e) at least one first mirror to reflect at least a portion of said laser beam,« less

Laser active thermography for non-destructive testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semerok, A.; Grisolia, C.; Fomichev, S. V.; Thro, P.-Y.

2013-11-01

Thermography methods have found their applications in different fields of human activity. The non-destructive feature of these methods along with the additional advantage by automated remote control and tests of nuclear installations without personnel attendance in the contaminated zone are of particular interest. Laser active pyrometry and laser lock-in thermography for in situ non-destructive characterization of micrometric layers on graphite substrates from European tokamaks were under extensive experimental and theoretical studies in CEA (France). The studies were aimed to obtain layer characterization with cross-checking the layer thermal contact coefficients determined by active laser pyrometry and lock-in thermography. The experimental installation comprised a Nd-YAG pulsed repetition rate laser (1 Hz - 10 kHz repetition rate frequency, homogeneous spot) and a home-made pyrometer system based on two pyrometers for the temperature measurements in 500 - 2600 K range. For both methods, the layer characterization was provided by the best fit of the experimental results and simulations. The layer thermal contact coefficients determined by both methods were quite comparable. Though there was no gain in the measurements accuracy, lock-in measurements have proved their advantage as being much more rapid. The obtained experimental and theoretical results are presented. Some practical applications and possible improvements of the methods are discussed.

Diffusion-cooled high-power single-mode waveguide CO2 laser for transmyocardial revascularization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berishvili, I. I.; Bockeria, L. A.; Egorov, E. N.; Golubev, Vladimir S.; Galushkin, Michail G.; Kheliminsky, A. A.; Panchenko, Vladislav Y.; Roshin, A. P.; Sigaev, I. Y.; Vachromeeva, M. N.; Vasiltsov, Victor V.; Yoshina, V. I.; Zabelin, Alexandre M.; Zelenov, Evgenii V.

1999-01-01

The paper presents the results on investigations and development of multichannel waveguide CO2 laser with diffusion cooling of active medium excited by discharge of audio-frequency alternating current. The description of high-power single-mode CO2 laser with average beam power up to 1 kW is presented. The result of measurement of the laser basic parameters are offered, as well as the outcomes of performances of the laser head with long active zone, operating in waveguide mode. As an example of application of these laser, various capabilities a description of the developed medical system 'Genom' used in the transmyocardial laser revascularization (TMLR) procedure and clinical results of the possibilities of the TMLR in the surgical treatment are presented.

Fusion reactor pumped laser

DOEpatents

Jassby, D.L.

1987-09-04

A nuclear pumped laser capable of producing long pulses of very high power laser radiation is provided. A toroidal fusion reactor provides energetic neutrons which are slowed down by a moderator. The moderated neutrons are converted to energetic particles capable of pumping a lasing medium. The lasing medium is housed in an annular cell surrounding the reactor. The cell includes an annular reflecting mirror at the bottom and an annular output window at the top. A neutron reflector is disposed around the cell to reflect escaping neutrons back into the cell. The laser radiation from the annular window is focused onto a beam compactor which generates a single coherent output laser beam. 10 figs.

Fusion reactor pumped laser

DOEpatents

Jassby, Daniel L.

1988-01-01

A nuclear pumped laser capable of producing long pulses of very high power laser radiation is provided. A toroidal fusion reactor provides energetic neutrons which are slowed down by a moderator. The moderated neutrons are converted to energetic particles capable of pumping a lasing medium. The lasing medium is housed in an annular cell surrounding the reactor. The cell includes an annular reflecting mirror at the bottom and an annular output window at the top. A neutron reflector is disposed around the cell to reflect escaping neutrons back into the cell. The laser radiation from the annular window is focused onto a beam compactor which generates a single coherent output laser beam.

Response of a semiconducting infinite medium under two temperature theory with photothermal excitation due to laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lotfy, Kh.; Gabr, M. E.

2017-12-01

A novel model of two-dimensional deformations for two-temperature theory at the free surface under the excitation of thermoelastic wave by pulsed laser for a semi-infinite semiconducting medium is studied. The effect of mechanical force during a photothermal process is investigated. The mathematical methods of the Lord-Shulman (LS includes one relaxation time) and Green-Lindsay (GL with two relaxation times) theories as well as the classical dynamical coupled theory (CD) are used. An exact expression for displacement components, force stresses, carrier density and distribution of temperature are obtained using the harmonic wave analysis. Combinations of two-temperature and photothermal theories are obtained analytically. Comparisons of the results are made between the three theories also. The effects of thermoelectric coupling parameter, two-temperature parameter on the displacement component, force stress, carrier density, and distribution of temperature for silicon (Si) medium have been illustrated graphically. The variations of the considered variables with the horizontal distance have been discussed.

The power of the bubble: comparing ultrasonic and laser activated irrigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Moor, Roeland J. G.; Meire, Maarten A.; Verdaasdonk, Rudolf M.

2014-01-01

The major problem of irrigation is the fluid motion within the confined geometry of the root canal : efficient dispersion of the liquid is difficult, conventional irrigation is limited due to the absence of turbulence over much of the canal volume, vapour lock may limit apical cleaning and disinfection, there is also a stagnation plane beyond the needle tip. The best way to improve irrigant penetration and biofilm removal is achieved by means of the agitation of the fluid. Today ultrasonic activation appears to be the best way to activate and potentiate irrigants among the present-day used means and marketed systems. Another way to activate irrigation solutions is the use of lasers: laser activated irrigation or photon-initiated acoustic streaming have been investigated. Based on present-day research it appears that the efficacy of laser activation (especially with Erbium lasers) can be more efficient thanks to the induction of specific cavitation phenomena and acoustic streaming. Other wavelengths are now explored to be used for laser activated irrigation.

Role of ROS-mediated TGF beta activation in laser photobiomodulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arany, Praveen R.; Chen, Aaron Chih-Hao; Hunt, Tristan; Mooney, David J.; Hamblin, Michael

2009-02-01

The ability of laser light to modulate specific biological processes has been well documented but the precise mechanism mediating these photobiological interactions remains an area of intense investigation. We recently published the results of our clinical trial with 30 patients in an oral tooth-extraction wound healing model using a 904nm GaAs laser (Oralaser 1010, Oralia, Konstnaz, Germany), assessing healing parameters using routine histopathology and immunostaining (Arany et al Wound Rep Regen 2007, 15, 866). We observed a better organized healing response in laser irradiated oral tissues that correlated with an increased expression of TGF-beta1 immediately post laser irradiation. Our data suggested the source of latent TGF-beta1 might be from the degranulating platelets in the serum, an abundant source of in vivo latent TGF-beta, in the freshly wounded tissues. Further, we also demonstrated the ability of the low power near-infrared laser irradiation to activate the latent TGF-beta complexes in vitro at varying fluences from 10sec (0.1 J/cm2) to 600secs (6 J/cm2). Using serum we observed two isoforms, namely TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta3, were capable of being activated by laser irradiation using an isoform-specific ELISA and a reporter based (p3TP) assay system. We are presently pursuing the precise photomolecular mechanisms focusing on potential chromophores, wavelength and fluence parameters affecting the Latent TGF-beta activation process in serum. As ROS mediated TGF-beta activation has been previously demonstrated and we are also exploring the role of Laser generated-ROS in this activation process. In summary, we present evidence of a potential molecular mechanism for laser photobiomodulation in its ability to activate latent TGF-beta complexes.

LASER APPLICATIONS AND OTHER TOPICS IN QUANTUM ELECTRONICS: Influence of noise and spread of resonance frequencies on phase locking of optically coupled lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bel'dyugin, Igor'M.; Zolotarev, M. V.; Shinkareva, I. V.

1991-12-01

A statistical analysis was made of the simultaneous influence of an external noise and of the spread of resonance frequencies on the phase locking of optically coupled lasers under conditions of long-range and short-range interaction in terms of the theory of critical phenomena. Studies were made of the behavior of an order parameter (the total amplitude of the fields of an array of lasers), and of the stability and correlation relationships between lasers for cophasal and antiphase lasing regimes. It was found that the locking band of the lasers could be increased substantially by detuning the phase-locking frequency from the center of the active medium profile.

Laser pulse self-compression in an active fibre with a finite gain bandwidth under conditions of a nonstationary nonlinear response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balakin, A. A.; Litvak, A. G.; Mironov, V. A.; Skobelev, S. A.

2018-04-01

We study the influence of a nonstationary nonlinear response of a medium on self-compression of soliton-like laser pulses in active fibres with a finite gain bandwidth. Based on the variational approach, we qualitatively analyse the self-action of the wave packet in the system under consideration in order to classify the main evolution regimes and to determine the minimum achievable laser pulse duration during self-compression. The existence of stable soliton-type structures is shown in the framework of the parabolic approximation of the gain profile (in the approximation of the Gnizburg – Landau equation). An analysis of the self-action of laser pulses in the framework of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a sign-constant gain profile demonstrate a qualitative change in the dynamics of the wave field in the case of a nonsta­tionary nonlinear response that shifts the laser pulse spectrum from the amplification region and stops the pulse compression. Expressions for a minimum duration of a soliton-like laser pulse are obtained as a function of the problem parameters, which are in good agreement with the results of numerical simulation.

Development of a compact vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser end-pumped actively Q-switched laser for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Shuo; Chen, Rongzhang; Nelsen, Bryan

2016-03-15

This paper reports the development of a compact and portable actively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and its applications in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The laser was end-pumped by a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). The cavity lases at a wavelength of 1064 nm and produced pulses of 16 ns with a maximum pulse energy of 12.9 mJ. The laser exhibits a reliable performance in terms of pulse-to-pulse stability and timing jitter. The LIBS experiments were carried out using this laser on NIST standard alloy samples. Shot-to-shot LIBS signal stability, crater profile, time evolution of emission spectra, plasma electron density and temperature, andmore » limits of detection were studied and reported in this paper. The test results demonstrate that the VCSEL-pumped solid-state laser is an effective and compact laser tool for laser remote sensing applications.« less

High-energy laser activities at MBDA Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohring, Bernd; Dietrich, Stephan; Tassini, Leonardo; Protz, Rudolf; Geidek, Franz; Zoz, Jürgen

2013-05-01

At MBDA Germany a concept for a high-energy laser weapon system is investigated, which is based on existing industrial laser sources. Due to the enormous progress in the field of high-power fiber lasers, commercial industrial fiber lasers are now available delivering a nearly-diffraction limited beam quality with power levels of up to 10 kW. By using a geometric beam coupling scheme, a number of individual high-power fiber laser beams are combined together using one common beam director telescope. A total laser beam power of more than 100 kW can be achieved, which is sufficient for an operational laser weapon system. The individual beams from the different lasers are steered by servo-loops using fast tip-tilt mirrors. This principle enables the concentration of the total laser beam power at one common focal point on a distant target, also allowing fine tracking of target movements and first-order compensation of turbulence effects on laser beam propagation. The proposed beam combination concept was demonstrated by using different experimental set-ups. A number of experiments were performed successfully to investigate laser beam target interaction and target fine tracking, also at large distances and at moving targets. Content and results of these investigations are reported, which demonstrate the complete engagement sequence for a C-RAM scenario. This includes subsequent steps of target acquisition by radar and IR optics, followed by large angle coarse tracking, active fine tracking and destruction of the target by the laser system. This successful implementation of geometric beam combining is an important step for the realization of a laser weapon system in the near future.

Method for optical pumping of thin laser media at high average power

DOEpatents

Zapata, Luis E [Livermore, CA; Beach, Raymond J [Livermore, CA; Honea, Eric C [Sunol, CA; Payne, Stephen A [Castro Valley, CA

2004-07-13

A thin, planar laser material is bonded to a light guide of an index-matched material forming a composite disk. Diode array or other pump light is introduced into the composite disk through the edges of the disk. Pump light trapped within the composite disk depletes as it multi-passes the laser medium before reaching an opposing edge of the disk. The resulting compound optical structure efficiently delivers concentrated pump light and to a laser medium of minimum thickness. The external face of the laser medium is used for cooling. A high performance cooler attached to the external face of the laser medium rejects heat. Laser beam extraction is parallel to the heat flux to minimize optical distortions.

Yb:FAP and related materials, laser gain medium comprising same, and laser systems using same

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krupke, William F.; Payne, Stephen A.; Chase, Lloyd L.

An ytterbium doped laser material remarkably superior to all others, including Yb:YAG, comprises Ytterbium doped apatite (Yb:Ca.sub.5 (PO.sub.4).sub.3 F) or Yb:FAP, or ytterbium doped crystals that are structurally related to FAP. The new laser material is used in laser systems pumped by diode pump sources having an output near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns, such as InGaAs and AlInGaAs, or other narrowband pump sources near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns. The laser systems are operated in either the conventional or ground state depletion mode.

Yb:FAP and related materials, laser gain medium comprising same, and laser systems using same

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krupke, W.F.; Payne, S.A.; Chase, L.L.

An ytterbium doped laser material remarkably superior to all others, including Yb:YAG, comprises ytterbium doped apatite (Yb:Ca{sub 5}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}F) or Yb:FAP, or ytterbium doped crystals structurally related to FAP. The new laser material is used in laser systems pumped by diode pump sources having an output near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns, such as InGaAs and AlInGaAs, or other narrowband pump sources near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns. The laser systems are operated in either the conventional or ground state depletion mode.

Environmental stability of actively mode locked fibre lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, Calum H.; Lee, Stephen T.; Reid, Derryck T.; Baili, Ghaya; Davies, John

2016-10-01

Lasers developed for defence related applications typically encounter issues with reliability and meeting desired specification when taken from the lab to the product line. In particular the harsh environmental conditions a laser has to endure can lead to difficulties. This paper examines a specific class of laser, namely actively mode-locked fibre lasers (AMLFLs), and discusses the impact of environmental perturbations. Theoretical and experimental results have assisted in developing techniques to improve the stability of a mode-locked pulse train for continuous operation. Many of the lessons learned in this research are applicable to a much broader category of lasers. The AMLFL consists of a fibre ring cavity containing a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA), an isolator, an output coupler, a circulator, a bandpass filter and a modulator. The laser produces a train of 6-ps pulses at 800 nm with a repetition rate in the GHz regime and a low-noise profile. This performance is realisable in a laboratory environment. However, even small changes in temperature on the order of 0.1 °C can cause a collapse of mode-locked dynamics such that the required stability cannot be achieved without suitable feedback. Investigations into the root causes of this failure were performed by changing the temperature of components that constitute the laser resonator and observing their properties. Several different feedback mechanisms have been investigated to improve laser stability in an environment with dynamic temperature changes. Active cavity length control will be discussed along with DC bias control of the Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM).

Optodynamic Phenomena During Laser-Activated Irrigation Within Root Canals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukač, Nejc; Gregorčič, Peter; Jezeršek, Matija

2016-07-01

Laser-activated irrigation is a powerful endodontic treatment for smear layer, bacteria, and debris removal from the root canal. In this study, we use shadow photography and the laser-beam-transmission probe to examine the dynamics of laser-induced vapor bubbles inside a root canal model and compare ultrasonic needle irrigation to the laser method. Results confirm important phenomenological differences in the two endodontic methods with the laser method resulting in much deeper irrigation. Observations of simulated debris particles show liquid vorticity effects which in our opinion represents the major cleaning mechanism.

Evaluation of the effects of a plasma activated medium on cancer cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mohades, S.; Laroussi, M., E-mail: mlarouss@odu.edu; Sears, J.

2015-12-15

The interaction of low temperature plasma with liquids is a relevant topic of study to the field of plasma medicine. This is because cells and tissues are normally surrounded or covered by biological fluids. Therefore, the chemistry induced by the plasma in the aqueous state becomes crucial and usually dictates the biological outcomes. This process became even more important after the discovery that plasma activated media can be useful in killing various cancer cell lines. Here, we report on the measurements of concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, a species known to have strong biological effects, produced by application of plasma tomore » a minimum essential culture medium. The activated medium is then used to treat SCaBER cancer cells. Results indicate that the plasma activated medium can kill the cancer cells in a dose dependent manner, retain its killing effect for several hours, and is as effective as apoptosis inducing drugs.« less

Controlling the non-linear intracavity dynamics of large He-Ne laser gyroscopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuccato, D.; Beghi, A.; Belfi, J.; Beverini, N.; Ortolan, A.; Di Virgilio, A.

2014-02-01

A model based on Lamb's theory of gas lasers is applied to a He-Ne ring laser (RL) gyroscope to estimate and remove the laser dynamics contribution from the rotation measurements. The intensities of the counter-propagating laser beams exiting one cavity mirror are continuously observed together with a monitor of the laser population inversion. These observables, once properly calibrated with a dedicated procedure, allow us to estimate cold cavity and active medium parameters driving the main part of the non-linearities of the system. The quantitative estimation of intrinsic non-reciprocal effects due to cavity and active medium non-linear coupling plays a key role in testing fundamental symmetries of space-time with RLs. The parameter identification and noise subtraction procedure has been verified by means of a Monte Carlo study of the system, and experimentally tested on the G-PISA RL oriented with the normal to the ring plane almost parallel to the Earth's rotation axis. In this configuration the Earth's rotation rate provides the maximum Sagnac effect while the contribution of the orientation error is reduced to a minimum. After the subtraction of laser dynamics by a Kalman filter, the relative systematic errors of G-PISA reduce from 50 to 5 parts in 103 and can be attributed to the residual uncertainties on geometrical scale factor and orientation of the ring.

Active solution of homography for pavement crack recovery with four laser lines.

PubMed

Xu, Guan; Chen, Fang; Wu, Guangwei; Li, Xiaotao

2018-05-08

An active solution method of the homography, which is derived from four laser lines, is proposed to recover the pavement cracks captured by the camera to the real-dimension cracks in the pavement plane. The measurement system, including a camera and four laser projectors, captures the projection laser points on the 2D reference in different positions. The projection laser points are reconstructed in the camera coordinate system. Then, the laser lines are initialized and optimized by the projection laser points. Moreover, the plane-indicated Plücker matrices of the optimized laser lines are employed to model the laser projection points of the laser lines on the pavement. The image-pavement homography is actively determined by the solutions of the perpendicular feet of the projection laser points. The pavement cracks are recovered by the active solution of homography in the experiments. The recovery accuracy of the active solution method is verified by the 2D dimension-known reference. The test case with the measurement distance of 700 mm and the relative angle of 8° achieves the smallest recovery error of 0.78 mm in the experimental investigations, which indicates the application potentials in the vision-based pavement inspection.

Low-concentrated solar-pumped laser via transverse excitation fiber-laser geometry.

PubMed

Masuda, Taizo; Iyoda, Mitsuhiro; Yasumatsu, Yuta; Endo, Masamori

2017-09-01

We demonstrate an extremely low-concentrated solar-pumped laser (SPL) using a fiber laser with transverse excitation geometry. A low concentration factor is highly desired in SPLs to eliminate the need for precise solar tracking and to considerably increase the practical applications of SPL technology. In this Letter, we have exploited the intrinsic low-loss property of silica fibers to compensate for the extremely low gain coefficient of the weakly pumped active medium. A 40 m long Nd 3+ -doped fiber coil is packed in a ring-shaped chamber filled with a sensitizer solution. We demonstrated a lasing threshold that is 15 times the concentration of natural sunlight and two orders of magnitude smaller than those of conventional SPLs.

Evaluation of thermal effects on the beam quality of disk laser with unstable resonator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shayganmanesh, Mahdi; Beirami, Reza

2017-01-01

In this paper thermal effects of the disk active medium and associated effects on the beam quality of laser are investigated. Using Collins integral and iterative method, transverse mode of an unstable resonator including a Yb:YAG active medium in disk geometry is calculated. After that the beam quality of the laser is calculated based on the generalized beam characterization method. Thermal lensing of the disk is calculated based on the OPD (Optical Path Difference) concept. Five factors influencing the OPD including temperature gradient, disk thermal expansion, photo-elastic effect, electronic lens and disk deformation are considered in our calculations. The calculations show that the effect of disk deformation factor on the quality of laser beam in the resonator is strong. However the total effect of all the thermal factors on the internal beam quality is fewer. Also it is shown that thermal effects degrade the output power, beam profile and beam quality of the output laser beam severely. As well the magnitude of each of affecting factors is evaluated distinctly.

Yb:FAP and related materials, laser gain medium comprising same, and laser systems using same

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krupke, W.F.; Payne, S.A.; Chase, L.L.

An ytterbium doped laser material remarkably superior to all others, including Yb:YAG, comprises ytterbium doped apatite (Yb:Ca[sub 5](PO[sub 4])[sub 3]F) or Yb:FAP, or ytterbium doped crystals that are structurally related to FAP. The new laser material is used in laser systems pumped by diode pump sources having an output near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns, such as InGaAs and AlInGaAs, or other narrowband pump sources near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns. The laser systems are operated in either the conventional or ground state depletion mode. 9 figures.

Yb:FAP and related materials, laser gain medium comprising same, and laser systems using same

DOEpatents

Krupke, W.F.; Payne, S.A.; Chase, L.L.; Smith, L.K.

1994-01-18

An ytterbium doped laser material remarkably superior to all others, including Yb:YAG, comprises ytterbium doped apatite (Yb:Ca[sub 5](PO[sub 4])[sub 3]F) or Yb:FAP, or ytterbium doped crystals that are structurally related to FAP. The new laser material is used in laser systems pumped by diode pump sources having an output near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns, such as InGaAs and AlInGaAs, or other narrowband pump sources near 0.905 microns or 0.98 microns. The laser systems are operated in either the conventional or ground state depletion mode. 9 figures.

LASER BIOLOGY: Laser spectroscopy technique for estimating the efficiency of photosensitisers in biological media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryabova, A. V.; Stratonnikov, Aleksandr A.; Loshchenov, V. B.

2006-06-01

A fast and highly informative method is presented for estimating the photodynamic activity of photosensitisers. The method makes it possible to determine the rate of photodegradation in erythrocyte-containing biological media in nearly in vivo conditions, estimate the degree of irreversible binding of oxygen dissolved in the medium during laser irradiation in the presence of photosensitisers, and determine the nature of degradation of photosensitisers exposed to light (photobleaching).

Lasers in ophthalmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mardin, Christian Y.; Tornow, Ralf P.; Kruse, Friedrich E.

Lasers are widely used in Ophthalmology. The unique transparent tissues of the eye's cornea, lens and vitreous body make lasers an ideal medium for diagnosis and therapy. They are incorporated in well established commercially available ophthalmic instruments but they also play an important role in new developments and research work. This paper gives a short overview on selected laser applications in our department.

Influence of the finite linewidth of the laser radiation spectrum on the shape of the coherent population trapping resonance line in an optically dense medium with a buffer gas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barantsev, K. A., E-mail: kostmann@yandex.ru; Popov, E. N.; Litvinov, A. N., E-mail: andrey.litvinov@mail.ru

2015-11-15

The theory of coherent population trapping resonance is developed for the finite linewidth of the laser radiation spectrum in an optically dense medium of Λ atoms in a cell with a buffer gas. Equations are derived for the atomic density matrix and laser emission spectrum transfer in a cell with working and buffer gases at a finite temperature. The dependence of the quality factor of coherent population trapping resonance on the linewidth of the laser radiation spectrum is studied by measuring transmitted radiation and fluorescence signals.

Self-seeded single-frequency laser peening method

DOEpatents

Dane, C Brent [Livermore, CA; Hackel, Lloyd [Livermore, CA; Harris, Fritz B [Rocklin, CA

2009-08-11

A method of operating a laser to obtain an output pulse having a single wavelength, comprises inducing an intracavity loss into a laser resonator having an amount that prevents oscillation during a time that energy from the pump source is being stored in the gain medium. Gain is built up in the gain medium with energy from the pump source until formation of a single-frequency relaxation oscillation pulse in the resonator. Upon detection of the onset of the relaxation oscillation pulse, the intracavity loss is reduced, such as by Q-switching, so that the built-up gain stored in the gain medium is output from the resonator in the form of an output pulse at a single frequency. An electronically controllable output coupler is controlled to affect output pulse characteristics. The laser acts a master oscillator in a master oscillator power amplifier configuration. The laser is used for laser peening.

Self-seeded single-frequency laser peening method

DOEpatents

DAne, C Brent; Hackey, Lloyd A; Harris, Fritz B

2012-06-26

A method of operating a laser to obtain an output pulse having a single wavelength, comprises inducing an intracavity loss into a laser resonator having an amount that prevents oscillation during a time that energy from the pump source is being stored in the gain medium. Gain is built up in the gain medium with energy from the pump source until formation of a single-frequency relaxation oscillation pulse in the resonator. Upon detection of the onset of the relaxation oscillation pulse, the intracavity loss is reduced, such as by Q-switching, so that the built-up gain stored in the gain medium is output from the resonator in the form of an output pulse at a single frequency. An electronically controllable output coupler is controlled to affect output pulse characteristics. The laser acts a master oscillator in a master oscillator power amplifier configuration. The laser is used for laser peening.

Optical resonator and laser applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taghavi-Larigani, Shervin (Inventor); Vanzyl, Jakob J. (Inventor); Yariv, Amnon (Inventor)

2006-01-01

The invention discloses a semi-ring Fabry-Perot (SRFP) optical resonator structure comprising a medium including an edge forming a reflective facet and a waveguide within the medium, the waveguide having opposing ends formed by the reflective facet. The performance of the SRFP resonator can be further enhanced by including a Mach-Zehnder interferometer in the waveguide on one side of the gain medium. The optical resonator can be employed in a variety of optical devices. Laser structures using at least one SRFP resonator are disclosed where the resonators are disposed on opposite sides of a gain medium. Other laser structures employing one or more resonators on one side of a gain region are also disclosed.

Laser-assisted surface modification of Ti-implant in air and water environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trtica, M.; Stasic, J.; Batani, D.; Benocci, R.; Narayanan, V.; Ciganovic, J.

2018-01-01

A study of the surface modification of titanium CP grade 2 implant/target with high intensity picosecond (Nd:YAG) laser, operating at 1064 nm wavelength and pulse duration of 40 ps, in gaseous (air) and liquid (water) medium, is presented. The exposure of Ti to a laser pulse energy of 17 mJ in both media - gaseous and liquid, induced specific surface features and phenomena: (i) enhancement of the implant surface roughness (higher in water). In this context, the damage depth is more prominent in water (as high as ∼40 μm) vs. air (∼14 μm). Also, the appearance of laser induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) is recorded in both media, at periphery area, while in water they are registered at lower pulse count; (ii) variation of chemical surface content depending on the applied medium. Thus, in the central irradiation region, the oxygen was absent in air while its concentration was relatively high (6.44 wt%) in case of water; (iii) possibility of direct collection of synthesized titanium based nanoparticles in water environment, and (iv) formation of the plasma above the sample in both mediums, more volumetrically confined in water. These investigations showed that surface structuring and observed phenomena are in strong correlation with the medium used. The liquid - water seems like the medium of choice in regard to titanium implant biocompatibility and bio-activity (the water is a favorable medium for build-up of the oxide layer which affects bioactivity). The process of laser interaction with titanium implant targets was accompanied by the formation of plasma plume, which provides the additional sterilizing effect facilitating contaminant-free conditions.

Laser Journal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1991-12-01

The major results of an experimental study of a slab Nd:YAG laser are reported in the article; the laser was successfully developed by the authors. The major findings include the following: (1) a method for cooling the blended flowing air and water, as well the related experimental parameters; (2) by using a crossed lens cavity, the authors further improved the anomalous capability within the compensation cavity of the slab laser, as well as higher insensitivity of the system to maladjustment; and (3) a processing technique and major points of slab YAG laser medium.

Active microwave remote sensing of an anisotropic random medium layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, J. K.; Kong, J. A.

1985-01-01

A two-layer anisotropic random medium model has been developed to study the active remote sensing of the earth. The dyadic Green's function for a two-layer anisotropic medium is developed and used in conjunction with the first-order Born approximation to calculate the backscattering coefficients. It is shown that strong cross-polarization occurs in the single scattering process and is indispensable in the interpretation of radar measurements of sea ice at different frequencies, polarizations, and viewing angles. The effects of anisotropy on the angular responses of backscattering coefficients are also illustrated.

Cr.sup.4+-doped mixed alloy laser materials and lasers and methods using the materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alfano, Robert R. (Inventor); Petricevic, Vladimir (Inventor); Bykov, Alexey (Inventor)

2008-01-01

A laser medium includes a single crystal of Cr.sup.4+:Mg.sub.2-xM.sub.xSi.sub.1-yA.sub.yO.sub.4, where, where M is a bivalent ion having an ionic radius larger than Mg.sup.2+, and A is a tetravalent ion having an ionic radius larger than Si.sup.4+. In addition, either a) 0.ltoreq.x<2 and 0laser medium can be used in a laser device, such as a tunable near infrared (NIR) laser.

Actively mode-locked fiber laser using a deformable micromirror.

PubMed

Fabert, Marc; Kermène, Vincent; Desfarges-Berthelemot, Agnès; Blondy, Pierre; Crunteanu, Aurelian

2011-06-15

We present what we believe to be the first fiber laser system that is actively mode-locked by a deformable micromirror. The micromirror device is placed within the laser cavity and performs a dual function of modulator and end-cavity mirror. The mode-locked laser provides ~1-ns-long pulses with 20 nJ/pulse energy at 5 MHz repetition rates.

Clinical and Spectrophotometric Evaluation of LED and Laser Activated Teeth Bleaching.

PubMed

Lo Giudice, R; Pantaleo, G; Lizio, A; Romeo, U; Castiello, G; Spagnuolo, G; Giudice, G Lo

2016-01-01

Auxiliary power sources (LED and laser) are used in in-office teeth bleaching techniques to accelerate the redox reaction of the whitening gel to increase ease of use, to improve comfort and safety, and to decrease the procedure time. The aim this study is to evaluate the efficiency of the teeth whitening procedures performed with hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide, LED or Laser activated. 18 patients, affected by exogenous dyschromia, were treated with a bleaching agent composed by 35% hydrogen peroxide and 10% carbamide peroxide. They were divided into two groups: in the first group the bleaching agent was activated by a LED lamp; in the second group it was activated by a Laser diode lamp. Both groups were subjected to 3 bleaching cycle of 15' each. The chromatic evaluations were performed before and after one week from the treatment, using a chromatic scale and a spectrophotometer. The mean value of pre, post bleaching and follow-up were analyzed using a T-test, with results statistically significant for P<0,05. Results showed that the variations in brightness, chroma and hue are significantly influenced by the interaction between the whitening agent and the original colour of the teeth. Laser-activation has marginally improved the bleaching effectiveness. All patients treated with laser activation complained an increase in dental sensitivity. The use of laser-activating systems did not improve the efficacy of bleaching.

Cladding for transverse-pumped solid-state laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byer, Robert L. (Inventor); Fan, Tso Y. (Inventor)

1989-01-01

In a transverse pumped, solid state laser, a nonabsorptive cladding surrounds a gain medium. A single tranverse mode, namely the Transverse Electromagnetic (TEM) sub 00 mode, is provided. The TEM sub 00 model has a cross sectional diameter greater than a transverse dimension of the gain medium but less than a transverse dimension of the cladding. The required size of the gain medium is minimized while a threshold for laser output is lowered.

Effects of Energy Density and Shielding Medium on Performance of Laser Beam Welding (LBW) Joints on SAF2205 Duplex Stainless Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, W. W.; Cong, S.; Luo, S. B.; Fang, J. H.

2018-05-01

The corrosion resistance performance of SAF2205 duplex stainless steel depends on the amount of ferrite to austenite transformation, but the ferrite content after power beam welding is always excessively high. To obtain laser beam welding joints with better mechanical and corrosion resistance performance, the effects of the energy density and shielding medium on the austenite content, hardness distribution, and shear strength were investigated. The results showed that ferrite to austenite transformation was realized with increase in the energy density. When the energy density was increased from 120 J/mm to 200 J/mm, the austenite content of the welding joint changed from 2.6% to 38.5%. Addition of nitrogen gas to the shielding medium could promote formation of austenite. When the shielding medium contained 50% and 100% nitrogen gas, the austenite content of the welding joint was 42.7% and 47.2%, respectively. The hardness and shear strength were significantly improved by increase in the energy density. However, the shielding medium had less effect on the mechanical performance. Use of the optimal welding process parameters resulted in peak hardness of 375 HV and average shear strength of 670 MPa.

Cardiac cell: a biological laser?

PubMed

Chorvat, D; Chorvatova, A

2008-04-01

We present a new concept of cardiac cells based on an analogy with lasers, practical implementations of quantum resonators. In this concept, each cardiac cell comprises a network of independent nodes, characterised by a set of discrete energy levels and certain transition probabilities between them. Interaction between the nodes is given by threshold-limited energy transfer, leading to quantum-like behaviour of the whole network. We propose that in cardiomyocytes, during each excitation-contraction coupling cycle, stochastic calcium release and the unitary properties of ionic channels constitute an analogue to laser active medium prone to "population inversion" and "spontaneous emission" phenomena. This medium, when powered by an incoming threshold-reaching voltage discharge in the form of an action potential, responds to the calcium influx through L-type calcium channels by stimulated emission of Ca2+ ions in a coherent, synchronised and amplified release process known as calcium-induced calcium release. In parallel, phosphorylation-stimulated molecular amplification in protein cascades adds tuneable features to the cells. In this framework, the heart can be viewed as a coherent network of synchronously firing cardiomyocytes behaving as pulsed laser-like amplifiers, coupled to pulse-generating pacemaker master-oscillators. The concept brings a new viewpoint on cardiac diseases as possible alterations of "cell lasing" properties.

High-power thulium-doped fiber laser in an all-fiber configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baravets, Yauhen; Todorov, Filip; Honzatko, Pavel

2016-12-01

High-power Tm-doped fiber lasers are greatly suitable for various applications, such as material processing, medicine, environmental monitoring and topography. In this work we present an all-fiber narrowband CW laser in near fundamental mode operation based on a Tm-doped double-clad active fiber pumped by 793 nm laser diodes with a central wavelength stabilized at 2039 nm by a fiber Bragg grating. The achieved output power is 60 W with a slope efficiency of 46%. The measured beam quality factor is less than 1.4. Further increasing of the output power is possible using various power scaling techniques, for example, coherent combination of several Tm-doped fiber lasers. The developed fiber laser could be employed for welding, cutting and marking of thermoplastics in industry, minimally invasive surgery in medicine or sensors in lidar systems. Future improvements of thulium fiber lasers are possible due to the extremely wide gain-bandwidth of the active medium and the rapid growth of 2-μm fiber components production.

Design of hybrid laser structures with QD-RSOA and silicon photonic mirrors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gioannini, Mariangela; Benedetti, Alessio; Bardella, Paolo; Bovington, Jock; Traverso, Matt; Siriani, Dominic; Gothoskar, Prakash

2018-02-01

We compare the design of three different single mode laser structures consisting in a Reflective Semiconductor Optical Amplifier coupled to a silicon photonic external cavity mirror. The three designs differ for the mirror structure and are compared in terms of SOA power consumption and side mode suppression ratio (SMSR). Assuming then a Quantum Dot active material, we simulate the best laser design using a numerical model that includes the peculiar physical characteristics of the QD gain medium. The simulated QD laser CW characteristics are shown and discussed.

Effects of temperature and medium composition on inhibitory activities of gossypol-related compounds against aflatoxigenic fungi.

PubMed

Mellon, J E; Dowd, M K; Beltz, S B

2013-07-01

To investigate the effects of temperature and medium composition on growth/aflatoxin inhibitory activities of terpenoids gossypol, gossypolone and apogossypolone against Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. The compounds were tested at a concentration of 100 μg ml(-1) in a Czapek Dox (Czapek) agar medium at 25, 31 and 37°C. Increased incubation temperature marginally increased growth inhibition caused by these compounds, but reduced the aflatoxin inhibition effected by gossypol. Gossypolone and apogossypolone retained good aflatoxin inhibitory activity against A. flavus and A. parasiticus at higher incubation temperatures. However, increased temperature also significantly reduced aflatoxin production in control cultures. The effects of the terpenoids on fungal growth and aflatoxin production against the same fungi were also determined in Czapek, Czapek with a protein/amino acid addendum and yeast extract sucrose (YES) media. Growth of these fungi in the protein-supplemented Czapek medium or in the YES medium greatly reduced the growth inhibition effects of the terpenoids. Apogossypolone displayed strong anti-aflatoxigenic activity in the Czapek medium, but this activity was significantly reduced in the protein-amended Czapek and YES media. Gossypol, which displayed little to no aflatoxin inhibitory activity in the Czapek medium, did yield significant anti-aflatoxigenic activity in the YES medium. Incubation temperature and media composition are important parameters involved in the regulation of aflatoxin production in A. flavus and A. parasiticus. These parameters also affect the potency of growth and aflatoxin inhibitory activities of these gossypol-related compounds against aflatoxigenic fungi. Studies utilizing gossypol-related compounds as inhibitory agents of biological activities should be interpreted with caution due to compound interaction with multiple components of the test system, especially serum proteins. Published [2013]. This article is a

Clinical and Spectrophotometric Evaluation of LED and Laser Activated Teeth Bleaching

PubMed Central

Lo Giudice, R.; Pantaleo, G.; Lizio, A.; Romeo, U.; Castiello, G.; Spagnuolo, G.; Giudice, G. Lo

2016-01-01

Background: Auxiliary power sources (LED and laser) are used in in-office teeth bleaching techniques to accelerate the redox reaction of the whitening gel to increase ease of use, to improve comfort and safety, and to decrease the procedure time. Objective: The aim this study is to evaluate the efficiency of the teeth whitening procedures performed with hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide, LED or Laser activated. Method: 18 patients, affected by exogenous dyschromia, were treated with a bleaching agent composed by 35% hydrogen peroxide and 10% carbamide peroxide. They were divided into two groups: in the first group the bleaching agent was activated by a LED lamp; in the second group it was activated by a Laser diode lamp. Both groups were subjected to 3 bleaching cycle of 15’ each. The chromatic evaluations were performed before and after one week from the treatment, using a chromatic scale and a spectrophotometer. The mean value of pre, post bleaching and follow-up were analyzed using a T-test, with results statistically significant for P<0,05. Results: Results showed that the variations in brightness, chroma and hue are significantly influenced by the interaction between the whitening agent and the original colour of the teeth. Laser-activation has marginally improved the bleaching effectiveness. All patients treated with laser activation complained an increase in dental sensitivity. Conclusion: The use of laser-activating systems did not improve the efficacy of bleaching. PMID:27386010

Parasitic oscillation suppression in solid state lasers using optical coatings

DOEpatents

Honea, Eric C.; Beach, Raymond J.

2005-06-07

A laser gain medium having a layered coating on at least certain surfaces of the laser gain medium. The layered coating having a reflective inner material and an absorptive scattering outside material.

Mie resonances to tailor random lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García, P. D.; Ibisate, M.; Sapienza, R.; Wiersma, D. S.; López, C.

2009-07-01

In this paper, we present an optical characterization of photonic glass-based random lasers. We show how the resonant behavior of diffuse light transport through such systems can tailor the lasing emission when a gain medium is added to the glass. A DNA-based organic dye is used as gain medium. The resonances in the transport mean-free path influence the lasing wavelength of the random laser. The laser wavelength is therefore controlled by the sphere diameter. Furthermore, the existence of Mie resonances reduces the necessary pump energy to reach the lasing threshold.

Fusion pumped laser

DOEpatents

Pappas, Daniel S.

1989-01-01

Apparatus is provided for generating energy in the form of laser radiation. A tokamak fusion reactor is provided for generating a long, or continuous, pulse of high-energy neutrons. The tokamak design provides a temperature and a magnetic field which is effective to generate a neutron flux of at least 10.sup.15 neutrons/cm.sup.2.s. A conversion medium receives neutrons from the tokamak and converts the high-energy neutrons to an energy source with an intensity and an energy effective to excite a preselected lasing medium. The energy source typically comprises fission fragments, alpha particles, and radiation from a fission event. A lasing medium is provided which is responsive to the energy source to generate a population inversion which is effective to support laser oscillations for generating output radiation.

Quantum properties of light emitted by dipole nano-laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghannam, Talal

Recent technological advances allow entire optical systems to be lithographically implanted on small silicon chips. These systems include tiny semiconductor lasers that function as light sources for digital optical signals. Future advances will rely on even smaller components. At the theoretical limit of this process, the smallest lasers will have an active medium consisting of a single atom (natural or artificial). Several suggestions for how this can be accomplished have already been published, such as nano-lasers based on photonic crystals and nano wires. In particular, the "dipole nanolaser" consists of a single quantum dot functioning as the active medium. It is optically coupled to a metal nanoparticles that form a resonant cavity. Laser light is generated from the near-field optical signal. The proposed work is a theoretical exploration of the nature of the resulting laser light. The dynamics of the system will be studied and relevant time scales described. These will form the basis for a set of operator equations describing the quantum properties of the emitted light. The dynamics will be studied in both density matrix and quantum Langevin formulations, with attention directed to noise sources. The equations will be linearized and solved using standard techniques. The result of the study will be a set of predicted noise spectra describing the statistics of the emitted light. The goal will be to identify the major noise contributions and suggest methods for suppressing them. This will be done by studying the probability of getting squeezed light from the nanoparticle for the certain scheme of parameters.

Modification of earth-satellite orbits using medium-energy pulsed lasers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Phipps, C.R.

1992-01-01

Laser Impulse Space Propulsion (LISP) has become an attractive concept, due to recent advances in gas laser technology, high-speed segmented mirrors and improved coeffici-ents for momentum coupling to targets in pulsed laser ablation. There are numerous specialized applications of the basic concept to space science-ranging from far-future and high capital cost to the immediate and inexpensive, such as: LEO-LISP (launch of massive objects into low-Earth-Orbit at dramatically improved cost-per-kg relative to present practice); LEGO-LISP (LEO to geosynchronous transfers); LO-LISP) (periodic re-boost of decaying LEO orbits); and LISK (geosynchronous satellite station-keeping). It is unlikely that one type of laser will bemore » best for all scenarios. In this paper, we will focus on the last two applications.« less

Modification of earth-satellite orbits using medium-energy pulsed lasers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Phipps, C.R.

1992-10-01

Laser Impulse Space Propulsion (LISP) has become an attractive concept, due to recent advances in gas laser technology, high-speed segmented mirrors and improved coeffici-ents for momentum coupling to targets in pulsed laser ablation. There are numerous specialized applications of the basic concept to space science-ranging from far-future and high capital cost to the immediate and inexpensive, such as: LEO-LISP (launch of massive objects into low-Earth-Orbit at dramatically improved cost-per-kg relative to present practice); LEGO-LISP (LEO to geosynchronous transfers); LO-LISP) (periodic re-boost of decaying LEO orbits); and LISK (geosynchronous satellite station-keeping). It is unlikely that one type of laser will bemore » best for all scenarios. In this paper, we will focus on the last two applications.« less

Laser stimulation can activate autophagy in HeLa cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yisen; Lan, Bei; He, Hao; Hu, Minglie; Cao, Youjia; Wang, Chingyue

2014-10-01

For decades, lasers have been a daily tool in most biological research for fluorescent excitation by confocal or multiphoton microscopy. More than 20 years ago, cell photodamage caused by intense laser stimulation was noticed by generating reactive oxygen species, which was then thought as the main damage effect by photons. In this study, we show that laser stimulation can induce autophagy, an important cell lysosomal pathway responding to immune stimulation and starvation, without any biochemical treatment. Two different types of laser stimulations are found to be capable of activating autophagy: continuous scanning by continuous-wave visible lasers and a short-time flash of femtosecond laser irradiation. The autophagy generation is independent from wavelength, power, and scanning duration of the visible lasers. In contrast, the power of femtosecond laser is very critical to autophagy because the multiphoton excited Ca2+ dominates autophagy signaling. In general, we show here the different mechanisms of autophagy generation by such laser stimulation, which correspond to confocal microscopy and cell surgery, respectively. Those results can help further understanding of photodamage and autophagy signaling.

Laser stimulation can activate autophagy in HeLa cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Yisen; Hu, Minglie; Wang, Chingyue

For decades, lasers have been a daily tool in most biological research for fluorescent excitation by confocal or multiphoton microscopy. More than 20 years ago, cell photodamage caused by intense laser stimulation was noticed by generating reactive oxygen species, which was then thought as the main damage effect by photons. In this study, we show that laser stimulation can induce autophagy, an important cell lysosomal pathway responding to immune stimulation and starvation, without any biochemical treatment. Two different types of laser stimulations are found to be capable of activating autophagy: continuous scanning by continuous-wave visible lasers and a short-time flashmore » of femtosecond laser irradiation. The autophagy generation is independent from wavelength, power, and scanning duration of the visible lasers. In contrast, the power of femtosecond laser is very critical to autophagy because the multiphoton excited Ca{sup 2+} dominates autophagy signaling. In general, we show here the different mechanisms of autophagy generation by such laser stimulation, which correspond to confocal microscopy and cell surgery, respectively. Those results can help further understanding of photodamage and autophagy signaling.« less

A simple kinetic model of a Ne-H2 Penning-plasma laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrov, G. M.; Stefanova, M. S.; Pramatarov, P. M.

1995-09-01

A simple kinetic model of the Ne-H2 Penning-Plasma Laser (PPL) (NeI 585.3 nm) is proposed. The negative glow of a hollow cathode discharge at intermediate pressures is considered as the active medium. The balance equations for the upper and lower laser levels, electrons, ions and electron energy are solved. The dependences of the laser gain on the discharge conditions (Ne and H2 partial pressures, discharge current) are calculated and measured. The calculated values are in a good agreement with the experimental data.

Ionization degree measurement in the gain medium of a hydrocarbon-free rubidium vapor laser operating in pulsed and CW modes.

PubMed

Zhao, Xiaofan; Yang, Zining; Hua, Weihong; Wang, Hongyan; Xu, Xiaojun

2017-04-17

Although the diode pumped alkali laser (DPAL) works in a three-level scheme, higher energy-state excitation and ionization processes exist during operation, which may lead to deleterious effects on laser performance. In this paper, we report the ionization degree measurement in the gain medium of an operational hydrocarbon-free Rb DPAL by using the optogalvanic method. The results show that, at the pulsed mode with a duration of ~1 ms, a maximal ionization degree of ~0.06% is obtained at a pump power of 140 W. While in the CW mode, the plasma reaches an ionization degree as high as ~2% at a pump power of 110 W, which is mainly due to the enough time for sufficient plasma development. A comparison with our previous work [Opt. Lett.39, 6501 (2014)] as well as modeling results is made and discussed. The influences of different population transfer channels on laser performance are simulated and analyzed. The results show that, for a typical hydrocarbon-free Rb laser (pump intensity of 15 kW/cm², helium pressure of 10 atm and cell temperature of 438 K), all the high-energy excitation effects give an overall negative influence on laser efficiency of ~3.78%, while the top two influencing channels are the photoionization (~1.8%) and the energy pooling (~1.53%). The work in this paper experimentally reveals the influence of the macroscopic ionization evolution process on an operational DPAL for the first time, which would be helpful for a more comprehensive understanding of the physics in DPALs.

Mathematical simulation of the amplification of 1790-nm laser radiation in a nuclear-excited He - Ar plasma containing nanoclusters of uranium compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosarev, V. A.; Kuznetsova, E. E.

2014-02-01

The possibility of applying dusty active media in nuclearpumped lasers has been considered. The amplification of 1790-nm radiation in a nuclear-excited dusty He - Ar plasma is studied by mathematical simulation. The influence of nanoclusters on the component composition of the medium and the kinetics of the processes occurring in it is analysed using a specially developed kinetic model, including 72 components and more than 400 reactions. An analysis of the results indicates that amplification can in principle be implemented in an active laser He - Ar medium containing 10-nm nanoclusters of metallic uranium and uranium dioxide.

Infrared laser system

DOEpatents

Cantrell, Cyrus D.; Carbone, Robert J.; Cooper, Ralph S.

1977-01-01

An infrared laser system and method for isotope separation may comprise a molecular gas laser oscillator to produce a laser beam at a first wavelength, Raman spin flip means for shifting the laser to a second wavelength, a molecular gas laser amplifier to amplify said second wavelength laser beam to high power, and optical means for directing the second wavelength, high power laser beam against a desired isotope for selective excitation thereof in a mixture with other isotopes. The optical means may include a medium which shifts the second wavelength high power laser beam to a third wavelength, high power laser beam at a wavelength coincidental with a corresponding vibrational state of said isotope and which is different from vibrational states of other isotopes in the gas mixture.

Infrared laser system

DOEpatents

Cantrell, Cyrus D.; Carbone, Robert J.; Cooper, Ralph

1982-01-01

An infrared laser system and method for isotope separation may comprise a molecular gas laser oscillator to produce a laser beam at a first wavelength, Raman spin flip means for shifting the laser to a second wavelength, a molecular gas laser amplifier to amplify said second wavelength laser beam to high power, and optical means for directing the second wavelength, high power laser beam against a desired isotope for selective excitation thereof in a mixture with other isotopes. The optical means may include a medium which shifts the second wavelength high power laser beam to a third wavelength, high power laser beam at a wavelength coincidental with a corresponding vibrational state of said isotope and which is different from vibrational states of other isotopes in the gas mixture.

Diode-pumped laser with improved pumping system

DOEpatents

Chang, Jim J.

2004-03-09

A laser wherein pump radiation from laser diodes is delivered to a pump chamber and into the lasing medium by quasi-three-dimensional compound parabolic concentrator light channels. The light channels have reflective side walls with a curved surface and reflective end walls with a curved surface. A flow tube between the lasing medium and the light channel has a roughened surface.

Impact of fiber ring laser configuration on detection capabilities in FBG based sensor systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osuch, Tomasz; Kossek, Tomasz; Markowski, Konrad

2014-11-01

In this paper fiber ring lasers (FRL) as interrogation units for distributed fiber Bragg grating (FBG) based sensor networks are studied. In particular, two configurations of the fiber laser with erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) and semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) as gain medium were analyzed. In the case of EDFA-based fiber interrogation systems, CW as well as active-mode locking operation were taken into account. The influence of spectral overlapping of FBGs spectra on detection capabilities of examined FRLs are presented. Experimental results show that the SOA-based fiber laser interrogation unit can operate as a multi-parametric sensing system. In turn, using an actively mode-locked fiber ring laser with an EDFA, an electronically switchable FBG based sensing system can be realized.

Experimental study on rat NK cell activity improvement by laser acupoint irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Dongxiao; Chen, Xiufeng; Ruan, Buqing; Yang, Feng

1998-08-01

To study the improvement of the natural killer (NK) cell activity by semiconductor laser acupoint irradiation, rats were used in this experiment and were injected immunosuppressant in their abdomen. The immunoassay was made after the surface irradiation and inner irradiation at Baihui point by semiconductor laser. The NK cell activity is an important index of immunologic function. The results showed that the NK cell activity after laser acupoint irradiation was enhanced. This enhancement is relatively important in the clinical therapy of tumor.

Semiconductor cylinder fiber laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandupatla, Abhinay; Flattery, James; Kornreich, Philipp

2015-12-01

We fabricated a fiber laser that uses a thin semiconductor layer surrounding the glass core as the gain medium. This is a completely new type of laser. The In2Te3 semiconductor layer is about 15-nm thick. The fiber laser has a core diameter of 14.2 μm, an outside diameter of 126 μm, and it is 25-mm long. The laser mirrors consist of a thick vacuum-deposited aluminum layer at one end and a thin semitransparent aluminum layer deposited at the other end of the fiber. The laser is pumped from the side with either light from a halogen tungsten incandescent lamp or a blue light emitting diode flash light. Both the In2Te3 gain medium and the aluminum mirrors have a wide bandwidth. Therefore, the output spectrum consists of a pedestal from a wavelength of about 454 to 623 nm with several peaks. There is a main peak at 545 nm. The main peak has an amplitude of 16.5 dB above the noise level of -73 dB.

On pulse duration of self-terminating lasers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bokhan, P A

2011-02-28

The problem of the maximum pulse duration {tau}{sub max} of self-terminating lasers is considered. It is shown that the duration depends on the transition probability in the laser channel, on the decay rate of the resonant state in all other channels, and on the excitation rate of the metastable state. As a result, {tau}{sub max} is found to be significantly shorter than previously estimated. The criteria for converting the 'self-terminating' lasing to quasi-cw lasing are determined. It is shown that in the case of nonselective depopulation of the metastable state, for example in capillary lasers or in a fast flowmore » of the active medium gas, it is impossible to obtain continuous lasing. Some concrete examples are considered. It is established that in several studies of barium vapour lasers ({lambda} = 1.5 {mu}m) and nitrogen lasers ({lambda} = 337 nm), collisional lasing is obtained by increasing the relaxation rate of the metastable state in collisions with working particles (barium atoms and nitrogen molecules). (lasers)« less

Reflex ring laser amplifier system

DOEpatents

Summers, M.A.

1983-08-31

The invention is a method and apparatus for providing a reflex ring laser system for amplifying an input laser pulse. The invention is particularly useful in laser fusion experiments where efficient production of high-energy and high power laser pulses is required. The invention comprises a large aperture laser amplifier in an unstable ring resonator which includes a combination spatial filter and beam expander having a magnification greater than unity. An input pulse is injected into the resonator, e.g., through an aperture in an input mirror. The injected pulse passes through the amplifier and spatial filter/expander components on each pass around the ring. The unstable resonator is designed to permit only a predetermined number of passes before the amplified pulse exits the resonator. On the first pass through the amplifier, the beam fills only a small central region of the gain medium. On each successive pass, the beam has been expanded to fill the next concentric non-overlapping region of the gain medium.

Analysis of laser pumping and thermal effects based on element analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Li; Liu, Zhijia; Zhang, Yizhuo; Han, Juan

2018-03-01

Thermal effect is a plateau that limits the output of high-power, high beam quality laser, and thermal effects become worse with the increase of pump power. We can reduce the effects caused by thermal effects from pumping, laser medium shape, cooling method and other aspects. In this article, by using finite element analysis software, the thermal effects between Nd:Glass and Nd:YAG laser crystal was analyzed and compared. The causes of generation for thermal effects, and factors that influence the distribution in laser medium were analyzed, including the light source, the laser medium shape and the working mode. Nd:Glass is more suitable for low repetition frequency, high energy pulsed laser output, due to its large size, line width and so on, and Nd:YAG is more suitable for continue or high repetition rate laser output, due to its higher thermal conductivity.

830 nm laser irradiation induces varicosity formation, reduces mitochondrial membrane potential and blocks fast axonal flow in small and medium diameter rat dorsal root ganglion neurons: implications for the analgesic effects of 830 nm laser.

PubMed

Chow, Roberta T; David, Monique A; Armati, Patricia J

2007-03-01

We report the formation of 830 nm (cw) laser-induced, reversible axonal varicosities, using immunostaining with beta-tubulin, in small and medium diameter, TRPV-1 positive, cultured rat DRG neurons. Laser also induced a progressive and statistically significant decrease (p<0.005) in MMP in mitochondria in and between static axonal varicosities. In cell bodies of the neuron, the decrease in MMP was also statistically significant (p<0.05), but the decrease occurred more slowly. Importantly we also report for the first time that 830 nm (cw) laser blocked fast axonal flow, imaged in real time using confocal laser microscopy and JC-1 as mitotracker. Control neurons in parallel cultures remained unaffected with no varicosity formation and no change in MMP. Mitochondrial movement was continuous and measured along the axons at a rate of 0.8 microm/s (range 0.5-2 microm/s), consistent with fast axonal flow. Photoacceptors in the mitochondrial membrane absorb laser and mediate the transduction of laser energy into electrochemical changes, initiating a secondary cascade of intracellular events. In neurons, this results in a decrease in MMP with a concurrent decrease in available ATP required for nerve function, including maintenance of microtubules and molecular motors, dyneins and kinesins, responsible for fast axonal flow. Laser-induced neural blockade is a consequence of such changes and provide a mechanism for a neural basis of laser-induced pain relief. The repeated application of laser in a clinical setting modulates nociception and reduces pain. The application of laser therapy for chronic pain may provide a non-drug alternative for the management of chronic pain.

ARTICLES: Stabilization of the composition of the gaseous medium in a pulse-periodic CO2 laser by hopcalite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baranov, V. Yu; Drokov, G. F.; Kuz'menko, V. A.; Mezhevov, V. S.; Pigul'skaya, V. V.

1986-05-01

The results of experiments on using hopcalite to stabilize the gas mixture composition in pulse-periodic and single-pulse CO2 lasers are reported. A study was made of the reasons for a fall in the activity of the catalyst with time under typical CO2 laser conditions and a catalyst regeneration regime was selected. The use of hopcalite ensured prolonged operation of a high-power pulse-periodic CO2 laser without replenishment of the gas mixture in a closed loop. Certain characteristic features concerning the use of hopcalite are described.

Optofluidic lasers and their applications in bioanalysis (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Xudong

2016-03-01

The optofluidic laser is an emerging technology that integrates microfluidics, miniaturized laser cavity, and laser gain medium in liquid. It is unique due to its biocompatibility, thus can be used for unconventional bioanalysis, in which biointeraction or process takes place within the optical cavity mode volume. Rather than using fluorescence, the optofluidic laser based detection employs laser emission, i.e., stimulated emission, as the sensing signal, which takes advantage of optical amplification provided by the laser cavity to achieve much higher sensitivity. In this presentation, I will first introduce the concept of optofluidic laser based bioanalysis. Then I will discuss each of the three components (cavity, gain medium, and fluidics) of the optofluidic laser and describe how to use the optofluidic laser in bioanalysis at the molecular, cellular, and tissue level. Finally, I will discuss future research and application directions.

Energy Scaling of Nanosecond Gain-Switched Cr2+:ZnSe Lasers

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-01

outcoupler or absorption from the lightly-doped active ions. Additionally, the edges of the crystals are cut at the Brewster angle , which raises...experiments we used Brewster cut Cr:ZnSe gain elements with a chromium concentration of 8x1018 cm-3. Under Cr:Tm:Ho:YAG pumping, the first Cr:ZnSe laser...the energy scaling of nanosecond gain-switched Cr:ZnSe lasers is optimization of the gain medium. In this study we used Brewster cut Cr:ZnSe gain

Noninvasive diode laser activation of transient receptor potential proteins and nociceptors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Nan; Cooper, Brian Y.; Nemenov, Michael I.

2007-02-01

We investigated diode laser (980 nm) evoked activation of transient receptor potential proteins (TRPV1 and TRPV2). C and A-delta (Aδ) nociceptor families are primarily responsible for pain mediation in the peripheral nervous system. TRPV1 proteins have been associated with heat evoked pain in C fibers while Aδ fibers have been associated with TRPV2. Diode laser stimulation allows a margin of safety between non-invasive activation and damage 19, 22, 34. Laser pulses (20-50 ms, 0.1-10 W, 980 nm) were used to stimulate: A) in vitro: excised patches from HEK293 cells expressing TRPV1; B) in vitro: rat DRG nociceptors expressing either TRPV1 or TRPV2; and C) in vivo: C-fibers of the rat saphenous nerve (SN) trunk. Cell currents were recorded using standard patch clamp methods. The SN was also stimulated electrically with bipolar electrodes. Stimulation (20-50 ms) of HEK and DRG cells expressing TRPV1 was highly reproducible. Activation and peak currents were achieved at estimated peak temperatures of 55°C and 70°C. Threshold activation was also observed in DRG neurons expressing TRPV2. The conduction velocity for laser-activated saphenous nerve afferents was in the C fiber range (0.5-1 m/s). Electrically stimulated nerve contained stimulation artifacts and complex neural components with conduction velocities ranging from 0.3-30 m/s. Diode laser activation of TRPV1 protein is a reproducible and effective means to probe TRP activity in both in vivo and in vitro preparations

System and method of infrared matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry in polyacrylamide gels

DOEpatents

Haglund, Jr., Richard F.; Ermer, David R.; Baltz-Knorr, Michelle Lee

2004-11-30

A system and method for desorption and ionization of analytes in an ablation medium. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of preparing a sample having analytes in a medium including at least one component, freezing the sample at a sufficiently low temperature so that at least part of the sample has a phase transition, and irradiating the frozen sample with short-pulse radiation to cause medium ablation and desorption and ionization of the analytes. The method further includes the steps of selecting a resonant vibrational mode of at least one component of the medium and selecting an energy source tuned to emit radiation substantially at the wavelength of the selected resonant vibrational mode. The medium is an electrophoresis medium having polyacrylamide. In one embodiment, the energy source is a laser, where the laser can be a free electron laser tunable to generate short-pulse radiation. Alternatively, the laser can be a solid state laser tunable to generate short-pulse radiation. The laser can emit light at various ranges of wavelength.

Rare earth gas laser

DOEpatents

Krupke, W.F.

1975-10-31

A high energy gas laser with light output in the infrared or visible region of the spectrum is described. Laser action is obtained by generating vapors of rare earth halides, particularly neodymium iodide or, to a lesser extent, neodymium bromide, and disposing the rare earth vapor medium in a resonant cavity at elevated temperatures; e.g., approximately 1200/sup 0/ to 1400/sup 0/K. A particularly preferred gaseous medium is one involving a complex of aluminum chloride and neodymium chloride, which exhibits tremendously enhanced vapor pressure compared to the rare earth halides per se, and provides comparable increases in stored energy densities.

Modes in light wave propagating in semiconductor laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manko, Margarita A.

1994-01-01

The study of semiconductor laser based on an analogy of the Schrodinger equation and an equation describing light wave propagation in nonhomogeneous medium is developed. The active region of semiconductor laser is considered as optical waveguide confining the electromagnetic field in the cross-section (x,y) and allowing waveguide propagation along the laser resonator (z). The mode structure is investigated taking into account the transversal and what is the important part of the suggested consideration longitudinal nonhomogeneity of the optical waveguide. It is shown that the Gaussian modes in the case correspond to spatial squeezing and correlation. Spatially squeezed two-mode structure of nonhomogeneous optical waveguide is given explicitly. Distribution of light among the laser discrete modes is presented. Properties of the spatially squeezed two-mode field are described. The analog of Franck-Condon principle for finding the maxima of the distribution function and the analog of Ramsauer effect for control of spatial distribution of laser emission are discussed.

Gas Lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dixit, S. K.

The field of gas lasers, started with the invention of He-Ne laser in 1961, has witnessed tremendous growth in terms of technology development, research into gaseous gain medium, resonator physics and application in widely diverse arenas. This was possible due to high versatility of gas lasers in terms of operating wavelengths, power, beam quality and mode of operation. In recent years, there is a definite trend to replace the gas lasers, wherever possible, by more efficient and compact solid-state lasers. However, for many industrial, medical and military applications, the gas lasers still rule the roost due to their high-power capabilities with good beam quality at specific wavelengths. This chapter presents a short review covering the operating principle, important technical details and application potential of all the important gas lasers such as He-Ne, CO2, argon ion, copper vapour, excimer and chemical lasers. These neutral atoms, ions and molecule gas lasers are discussed as per applicable electrical, chemical and optical excitation schemes. The optically pumped gas lasers, recently experiencing resurgence, are discussed in the context of far infrared THz molecular lasers, diode-pumped alkali lasers and optically pumped gas-filled hollow-core fibre lasers.

Effects of Growth Medium on Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption–Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectra: a Case Study of Acetic Acid Bacteria

PubMed Central

Wieme, Anneleen D.; Spitaels, Freek; Aerts, Maarten; De Bruyne, Katrien; Van Landschoot, Anita

2014-01-01

The effect of the growth medium used on the matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectra generated and its consequences for species and strain level differentiation of acetic acid bacteria (AAB) were determined by using a set of 25 strains. The strains were grown on five different culture media that yielded a total of more than 600 mass spectra, including technical and biological replicates. The results demonstrate that the culture medium can have a profound effect on the mass spectra of AAB as observed in the presence and varying signal intensities of peak classes, in particular when culture media do not sustain optimal growth. The observed growth medium effects do not disturb species level differentiation but strongly affect the potential for strain level differentiation. The data prove that a well-constructed and robust MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry identification database should comprise mass spectra of multiple reference strains per species grown on different culture media to facilitate species and strain level differentiation. PMID:24362425

Hybrid fiber-rod laser

DOEpatents

Beach, Raymond J.; Dawson, Jay W.; Messerly, Michael J.; Barty, Christopher P. J.

2012-12-18

Single, or near single transverse mode waveguide definition is produced using a single homogeneous medium to transport both the pump excitation light and generated laser light. By properly configuring the pump deposition and resulting thermal power generation in the waveguide device, a thermal focusing power is established that supports perturbation-stable guided wave propagation of an appropriately configured single or near single transverse mode laser beam and/or laser pulse.

Polarization methods for diode laser excitation of solid state lasers

DOEpatents

Holtom, Gary R.

2008-11-25

A mode-locked laser employs a coupled-polarization scheme for efficient longitudinal pumping by reshaped laser diode bars. One or more dielectric polarizers are configured to reflect a pumping wavelength having a first polarization and to reflect a lasing wavelength having a second polarization. A Yb-doped gain medium can be used that absorbs light having a first polarization and emits light having a second polarization. Using such pumping with laser cavity dispersion control, pulse durations of less than 100 fs can be achieved.

Chemical bond activation observed with an x-ray laser

DOE PAGES

Beye, Martin; Öberg, Henrik; Xin, Hongliang; ...

2016-09-01

The concept of bonding and anti-bonding orbitals is fundamental in chemistry. The population of those orbitals and the energetic difference between the two reflect the strength of the bonding interaction. Weakening the bond is expected to reduce this energetic splitting, but the transient character of bond-activation has so far prohibited direct experimental access. Lastly, we apply time-resolved soft X-ray spectroscopy at a free-electron laser to directly observe the decreased bonding–anti-bonding splitting following bond-activation using an ultra short optical laser pulse.

Activity of respiratory system during laser irradiation of brain structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merkulova, N. A.; Sergeyeva, L. I.

1984-06-01

The performance of one of the principal links of the respiratory system, the respiratory center, was studied as a function of the exposure of the medulla oblongata and the sensomotor zone of the cerebral hemisphere cortex to low level laser irradiation in the red wavelength of the spectrum. Experiments were done on white rats under barbital anesthesia. Under such conditions a substantial effect was observed on the activity of the respiratory center. Laser light may display activating or inhibitory influences, in some cases the bilateral symmetry of the activity of the respiratory center is affected indicating deep changes in the integrative mechanism of the functioning of the right and left sides of the hemispheres. The laser beam effect depends on many factors: specific light properties, duration of the exposure, repetition of exposures, initial functional state of the CNS, etc.

Growth and Evaluation of Nonlinear Optical Crystals for Laser Applications: Lithium Borate, Barium Borate and Silver Gallium Selenide.

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-12-08

communication 2. S. A. Kutovi, V. V. Laptev and S. Yu. Matsnev, " Lanthanum scandoborate as a new highly efficient active medium of solid state lasers," Sov. J...34Noncritical detection of tunable C02 laser radiation into green by upconversion in silver thio- gallate ," Applied Physics B53, 19 (1991). 3. N.-H

High power tube solid-state laser with zigzag propagation of pump and laser beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savich, Michael

2015-02-01

A novel resonator and pumping design with zigzag propagation of pumping and laser beams permits to design an improved tube Solid State Laser (SSL), solving the problem of short absorption path to produce a high power laser beam (100 - 1000kW). The novel design provides an amplifier module and laser oscillator. The tube-shaped SSL includes a gain element fiber-optically coupled to a pumping source. The fiber optic coupling facilitates light entry at compound Brewster's angle of incidence into the laser gain element and uses internal reflection to follow a "zigzag" path in a generally spiral direction along the length of the tube. Optics are arranged for zigzag propagation of the laser beam, while the cryogenic cooling system is traditional. The novel method of lasing uses advantages of cylindrical geometry to reach the high volume of gain medium with compactness and structural rigidity, attain high pump density and uniformity, and reach a low threshold without excessive increase of the temperature of the crystal. The design minimizes thermal lensing and stress effects, and provides high gain amplification, high power extraction from lasing medium, high pumping and lasing efficiency and a high beam quality.

Laser vibration sensing at Fraunhofer IOSB: review and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lutzmann, Peter; Göhler, Benjamin; Hill, Chris A.; van Putten, Frank

2017-03-01

Laser vibrometry based on coherent detection allows noncontact measurements of small-amplitude vibration characteristics of objects. This technique, commonly using the Doppler effect, offers high potential for short-range civil applications and for medium- or long-range applications in defense and security. Most commercially available laser Doppler vibrometers are for short ranges (up to a few tens of meters) and use a single beam from a low-power HeNe laser source (λ=633 nm). Medium- or long-range applications need higher laser output power, and thus, appropriate vibrometers typically operate at 1.5, 2, or 10.6 μm to meet the laser safety regulations. Spatially resolved vibrational information can be obtained from an object by using scanning laser vibrometers. To reduce measuring time and to measure transient object movements and vibrational mode structures of objects, several approaches to multibeam laser Doppler vibrometry have been developed, and some of them are already commercially available for short ranges. We focus on applications in the field of defense and security, such as target classification and identification, including camouflaged or partly concealed targets, and the detection of buried land mines. Examples of civil medium-range applications are also given.

Tetravalent chromium (Cr(4+)) as laser-active ion for tunable solid-state lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seas, A.; Petricevic, V.; Alfano, Robert R.

1992-01-01

Generation of femtosecond pulses from a continuous-wave mode-locked chromium-doped forsterite (Cr(4+):Mg2SiO4) laser has been accomplished. The forsterite laser was actively mode-locked using an acousto-optic modulator operating at 78 MHz with two Brewster high-dispersion glass prisms for intra-cavity chirp compensation. Transform-limited sub-100-fs pulses were routinely generated in the TEM(sub 00) mode with 85 mW of continuous power (with 1 percent output coupler), tunable over 1230-1280 nm. The shortest pulses of 60-fs pulsewidth were measured.

Lasers in medicine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Qian; Juzeniene, Asta; Chen, Jiyao; Svaasand, Lars O.; Warloe, Trond; Giercksky, Karl-Erik; Moan, Johan

2008-05-01

It is hard to imagine that a narrow, one-way, coherent, moving, amplified beam of light fired by excited atoms is powerful enough to slice through steel. In 1917, Albert Einstein speculated that under certain conditions atoms could absorb light and be stimulated to shed their borrowed energy. Charles Townes coined the term laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) in 1951. Theodore Maiman investigated the glare of a flash lamp in a rod of synthetic ruby, creating the first human-made laser in 1960. The laser involves exciting atoms and passing them through a medium such as crystal, gas or liquid. As the cascade of photon energy sweeps through the medium, bouncing off mirrors, it is reflected back and forth, and gains energy to produce a high wattage beam of light. Although lasers are today used by a large variety of professions, one of the most meaningful applications of laser technology has been through its use in medicine. Being faster and less invasive with a high precision, lasers have penetrated into most medical disciplines during the last half century including dermatology, ophthalmology, dentistry, otolaryngology, gastroenterology, urology, gynaecology, cardiology, neurosurgery and orthopaedics. In many ways the laser has revolutionized the diagnosis and treatment of a disease. As a surgical tool the laser is capable of three basic functions. When focused on a point it can cauterize deeply as it cuts, reducing the surgical trauma caused by a knife. It can vaporize the surface of a tissue. Or, through optical fibres, it can permit a doctor to see inside the body. Lasers have also become an indispensable tool in biological applications from high-resolution microscopy to subcellular nanosurgery. Indeed, medical lasers are a prime example of how the movement of an idea can truly change the medical world. This review will survey various applications of lasers in medicine including four major categories: types of lasers, laser

High-energy azimuthally polarized laser beam generation from an actively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with c-cut YVO4 crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Jing; Zhang, Baofu; Jiao, Zhongxing; He, Guangyuan; Wang, Biao

2018-05-01

A high-energy, azimuthally polarized (AP) and actively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser is demonstrated. The thermal bipolar lensing effect in the Nd:YAG laser rod is used as a polarization discriminator, and a c-cut YVO4 crystal is inserted into the laser cavity to increase the mode-selecting ability of the cavity for AP mode. The laser generated AP pulses with maximum pulse energy as high as 4.2 mJ. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest pulse energy obtained from an actively Q-switched AP laser. The pulse energy remained higher than 1 mJ over a wide range of repetition rates from 5 kHz to 25 kHz.

Explosive laser

DOEpatents

Robinson, C.P.; Jensen, R.J.; Davis, W.C.; Sullivan, J.A.

1975-09-01

This patent relates to a laser system wherein reaction products from the detonation of a condensed explosive expand to form a gaseous medium with low translational temperature but high vibration population. Thermal pumping of the upper laser level and de-excitation of the lower laser level occur during the expansion, resulting in a population inversion. The expansion may be free or through a nozzle as in a gas-dynamic configuration. In one preferred embodiment, the explosive is such that its reaction products are CO$sub 2$ and other species that are beneficial or at least benign to CO$sub 2$ lasing. (auth)

Dielectrophoretic focusing integrated pulsed laser activated cell sorting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xiongfeng; Kung, Yu-Chun; Wu, Ting-Hsiang; Teitell, Michael A.; Chiou, Pei-Yu

2017-08-01

We present a pulsed laser activated cell sorter (PLACS) integrated with novel sheathless size-independent dielectrophoretic (DEP) focusing. Microfluidic fluorescence activated cell sorting (μFACS) systems aim to provide a fully enclosed environment for sterile cell sorting and integration with upstream and downstream microfluidic modules. Among them, PLACS has shown a great potential in achieving comparable performance to commercial aerosol-based FACS (>90% purity at 25,000 cells sec-1). However conventional sheath flow focusing method suffers a severe sample dilution issue. Here we demonstrate a novel dielectrophoresis-integrated pulsed laser activated cell sorter (DEP-PLACS). It consists of a microfluidic channel with 3D electrodes laid out to provide a tunnel-shaped electric field profile along a 4cmlong channel for sheathlessly focusing microparticles/cells into a single stream in high-speed microfluidic flows. All focused particles pass through the fluorescence detection zone along the same streamline regardless of their sizes and types. Upon detection of target fluorescent particles, a nanosecond laser pulse is triggered and focused in a neighboring channel to generate a rapidly expanding cavitation bubble for precise sorting. DEP-PLACS has achieved a sorting purity of 91% for polystyrene beads at a throughput of 1,500 particle/sec.

Explosively pumped laser light

DOEpatents

Piltch, Martin S.; Michelotti, Roy A.

1991-01-01

A single shot laser pumped by detonation of an explosive in a shell casing. The shock wave from detonation of the explosive causes a rare gas to luminesce. The high intensity light from the gas enters a lasing medium, which thereafter outputs a pulse of laser light to disable optical sensors and personnel.

Cr-doped scandium borate laser

DOEpatents

Chai, Bruce H.; Lai, Shui T.; Long, Margaret N.

1989-01-01

A broadly wavelength-tunable laser is provided which comprises as the laser medium a single crystal of MBO.sub.3 :Cr.sup.3+, where M is selected from the group of Sc, In and Lu. The laser may be operated over a broad temperature range from cryogenic temperatures to elevated temperatures. Emission is in a spectral range from red to infrared, and the laser is useful in the fields of defense, communications, isotope separation, photochemistry, etc.

Recent developments in CO2 lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Keming

1993-05-01

CO2 lasers have been used in industry mainly for such things as cutting, welding, and surface processing. To conduct a broad spectrum of high-speed and high-quality applications, most of the developments in industrial CO2 lasers at the ILT are aimed at increasing the output power, optimizing the beam quality, and reducing the production costs. Most of the commercial CO2 lasers above 5 kW are transverse-flow systems using dc excitation. The applications of these lasers are limited due to the lower beam quality, the poor point stability, and the lower modulation frequency. To overcome the problems we developed a fast axial- flow CO2 laser using rf excitation with an output of 13 kW. In section 2 some of the results are discussed concerning the gas flow, the discharge, the resonator design, optical effects of active medium, the aerodynamic window, and the modulation of the output power. The first CO2 lasers ever built are diffusion-cooled systems with conventional dc excited cylindrical discharge tubes surrounded by cooling jackets. The output power per unit length is limited to 50 W/m by those lasers with cylindrical tubes. In the past few years considerable increases in the output power were achieved, using new mechanical geometries, excitation- techniques, and resonator designs. This progress in diffusion-cooled CO2 lasers is presented in section 3.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SEMICONDUCTOR INJECTION LASERS SELCO-87: Surface effects in laser diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beister, G.; Maege, J.; Richter, G.

1988-11-01

Changes in the current-voltage characteristics below the threshold current were observed in gain-guided stripe laser diodes after preliminary lasing. This effect was not fully understood. Similar changes in the laser characteristics appeared as a result of etching in a gaseous medium. The observed changes were attributed tentatively to surface currents.

A 2.5-kW industrial CO2 laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golov, V. K.; Ivanchenko, A. I.; Krasheninnikov, V. V.; Ponomarenko, A. G.; Shepelenko, A. A.

1986-06-01

A fast-flow laser is reported in which the active medium is excited by a self-sustained dc discharge produced by an electric-discharge device with nonsectioned electrodes. In the laser, two discharge gaps are formed by a flat anode and two cathodes, one on each side of the anode. A gas mixture is driven through the gasdynamic channel by a centrifugal fan rotating at 6000 rpm/min. With a mixture of CO2:N2:He = 2.5:7.5:5 mm Hg, the rated power is 2.5 kW; the maximum power is 4 kW with the mixture 2.5:7.5:10 mm Hg. The general design of the laser is described, and its principal performance characteristics are given.

Development and validation of a microchip pulsed laser for ESA space altimeters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Couto, Bruno; Abreu, Hernâni; Gordo, Paulo; Amorim, António

2016-10-01

The development and validation of small size laser sources for space based range finding is of crucial importance to the development of miniature LIDAR devices for European space missions, particularly for planet lander probes. In this context, CENTRA-SIM is developing a passively q-switched microchip laser in the 1.5μm wavelength range. Pulses in the order of 2 ns and 100μJ were found to be suitable for range finding for small landing platforms. Both glass and crystalline Yb-Er doped active media are commonly available. Crystalline media present higher thermal conductivity and hardness, which allows for higher pumping intensities. However, glass laser media present longer laser upper-state lifetime and 99% Yb-Er transfer efficiency make phosphate glasses the typically preferred host for this type of application. In addition to this, passively q-switched microchip lasers with Yb-Er doped phosphate glass have been reported to output >100μJ pulses while their crystalline host counterparts achieve a few tens of μJ at best. Two different types of rate equation models have been found: microscopic quantities based models and macroscopic quantities based models. Based on the works of Zolotovskaya et al. and Spühler et al, we have developed a computer model that further exploits the equivalence between the two types of approaches. The simulation studies, using commercial available components allowed us to design a compact laser emitting 80μJ pulses with up to 30kW peak power and 1 to 2 ns pulse width. We considered EAT14 Yb-Er doped glass as active medium and Co2+:MgAl2O4 as saturable absorber. The active medium is pumped by a 975nm semiconductor laser focused into a 200μm spot. Measurements on an experimental test bench to validate the numerical model were carried out. Several different combinations of, saturable absorber length and output coupling were experimented.

Resonantly diode-pumped eye-safe Er:YAG laser with fiber-shaped crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Němec, Michal; Šulc, Jan; Hlinomaz, Kryštof; Jelínková, Helena; Nejezchleb, Karel; Čech, Miroslav

2018-02-01

Solid-state eye-safe lasers are interesting sources for various applications, such as lidar, remote sensing, and ranging. A resonantly diode-pumped Er:YAG laser could be one of them allowing to reach a tunable laser emission in 1.6 μm spectral region. To overcome low pump absorption and poor pumping beam quality generated by commercially available laser diode, an active medium could be formed to long and thin laser rod guiding pumping radiation. Such an effective cooling during a high power pumping, which is a "crystal-fiber" benefit, may be useful for "standard" crystal active medium. The main goal of this work was to investigate the laser characteristics of new developed Er:YAG crystal with a special shape for diode-pumping. Er:YAG fiber-shape crystal with square cross-section (1x1mm) and 40mm in length was doped by 0.1% Er3+ ions. All sides of this crystal were polished and in addition the end-faces of it were antireflection coatings for the wavelength 1470 and 1645 nm. As a pump system, a fiber coupled laser diode (f = 10 Hz, t = 10 ms) emitting radiation at 1465 nm wavelength was used. Er:YAG fiber-shape crystal was placed onto a copper holder in the 85 mm long plan-concave resonator consisting of a pump flat mirror and output curved (r = 150 mm) coupler with a reflectivity of 96 % @ 1645 nm. The dependence of the output peak power on absorbed pump power was investigated and the maximum 0.8 W was obtained. The corresponding slope efficiency was 14.5 %. The emitting wavelength was equaled to 1645 nm (4 nm linewidth, FWHM). The spatial beam structure was close to the Gaussian mode.

Cylindrical laser resonator

DOEpatents

Casperson, Lee W.

1976-02-24

The properties of an improved class of lasers is presented. In one configuration of these lasers the radiation propagates radially within the amplifying medium, resulting in high fields and symmetric illumination at the resonator axis. Thus there is a strong focusing of energy at the axis of the resonator. In a second configuration the radiation propagates back and forth in a tubular region of space.

Parasitic oscillation suppression in solid state lasers using absorbing thin films

DOEpatents

Zapata, Luis E.

1994-01-01

A thin absorbing film is bonded onto at least certain surfaces of a solid state laser gain medium. An absorbing metal-dielectric multilayer film is optimized for a broad range of incidence angles, and is resistant to the corrosive/erosive effects of a coolant such as water, used in the forced convection cooling of the film. Parasitic oscillations hamper the operation of solid state lasers by causing the decay of stored energy to amplified rays trapped within the gain medium by total and partial internal reflections off the gain medium facets. Zigzag lasers intended for high average power operation require the ASE absorber.

Laser biostimulation of articular cartilage: in vitro evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Yali; Guo, Zhouyi; Yang, Xiaohong; Zeng, Chang-Chun

2004-07-01

In the orthopaedic field, the repair of ariticular cartilage is still a difficult problem, because of the physiological characters of cartilaginous tissues and chondrocytes. To find an effective method of stimulating their regeneration, this in vitro study focuses on the biostimulation of rabbit articular chondrocytes by low-power He-Ne laser. The articular chondrocytes isolated from the cartilage of the medial condyle of the femur of the rabbit were incubated in HamF12 medium. The second passage culture were spread on 24 petri dishes and were irradiated with laser at power density of 2 - 12 mW/cm2 for 6.5 minutes, corresponding to the energy density of 1-6 J/cm2. Laser treatment was performed three times at a 24-hour interval. After lasering, incubation was continued for 24 hours. Non-irradiated cells were kept under the same conditions as the irradiated ones. The cell proliferation activity was evaluated with a XTT colorimetric method. Irradiation of 4 - 6 J/cm2 revealed a considerably higher cell proliferation activity comparing to control cultures. Thereinto, the energy density of 4 and 5 J/cm2 remarkably increased cell growth (P<0.01). The present study showed that a particular laser irradiation stimulates articular chondrocytes proliferation. These findings might be clinically relevant, indicating that low-power laser irradiation treatment is likely to achieve the repair of articular cartilage in clinic.

Fusion pumped laser

DOEpatents

Pappas, D.S.

1987-07-31

The apparatus of this invention may comprise a system for generating laser radiation from a high-energy neutron source. The neutron source is a tokamak fusion reactor generating a long pulse of high-energy neutrons and having a temperature and magnetic field effective to generate a neutron flux of at least 10/sup 15/ neutrons/cm/sup 2//center dot/s. Conversion means are provided adjacent the fusion reactor at a location operable for converting the high-energy neutrons to an energy source with an intensity and energy effective to excite a preselected lasing medium. A lasing medium is spaced about and responsive to the energy source to generate a population inversion effective to support laser oscillations for generating output radiation. 2 figs., 2 tabs.

Ultralow-jitter and -amplitude-noise semiconductor-based actively mode-locked laser.

PubMed

Quinlan, Franklyn; Gee, Sangyoun; Ozharar, Sarper; Delfyett, Peter J

2006-10-01

We report a semiconductor-based, low-noise, 10.24 GHz actively mode-locked laser with 4.65 fs of relative timing jitter and a 0.0365% amplitude fluctuation (1 Hz to 100 MHz) of the optical pulse train. The keys to obtaining this result were the laser's high optical power and the low phase noise of the rf source used to mode lock the laser. The low phase noise of the rf source not only improves the absolute and relative timing jitter of the laser, but also prevents coupling of the rf source phase noise to the pulse amplitude fluctuations by the mode-locked laser.

Harmonically mode-locked erbium-doped waveguide laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fanto, Michael L.; Malowicki, John E.; Bussjager, Rebecca J.; Johns, Steven T.; Vettese, Elizabeth K.; Hayduk, Michael J.

2004-08-01

The generation of ultrastable picosecond pulses in the 1550 nm range is required for numerous applications that include photonic analog-to-digital converter systems and high-bit rate optical communication systems. Mode-locked erbium-doped fiber ring lasers (EDFLs) are typically used to generate pulses at this wavelength. In addition to timing stability and output power, the physical size of the laser cavity is of primary importance to the Air Force. The length of the erbium (Er)-doped fiber used as the gain medium may be on the order of meters or even tens of meters which adds complexity to packaging. However, with the recent advancements in the production of multi-component glasses, higher doping concentrations can be achieved as compared to silicate glasses. Even more recent is the introduction of Er-doped multi-component glass waveguides, thus allowing the overall footprint of the gain medium to be reduced. We have constructed a novel harmonically mode-locked fiber ring laser using the Er-doped multi-component glass waveguide as the gain medium. The performance characteristics of this Er-doped waveguide laser (EDWL) including pulse width, spectral width, harmonic suppression, optical output power, laser stability and single sideband residual phase noise will be discussed in this paper.

Continuous-wave organic dye lasers and methods

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shapira, Ofer; Chua, Song-Liang; Zhen, Bo

2014-09-16

An organic dye laser produces a continuous-wave (cw) output without any moving parts (e.g., without using flowing dye streams or spinning discs of solid-state dye media to prevent photobleaching) and with a pump beam that is stationary with respect to the organic dye medium. The laser's resonant cavity, organic dye medium, and pump beam are configured to excite a lasing transition over a time scale longer than the associated decay lifetimes in the organic dye medium without photobleaching the organic dye medium. Because the organic dye medium does not photobleach when operating in this manner, it may be pumped continuouslymore » so as to emit a cw output beam. In some examples, operation in this manner lowers the lasing threshold (e.g., to only a few Watts per square centimeter), thereby facilitating electrical pumping for cw operation.« less

In vitro transdentinal effect of low-level laser therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira, C. F.; Basso, F. G.; dos Reis, R. I.; Parreiras-e-Silva, L. T.; Lins, E. C.; Kurachi, C.; Hebling, J.; Bagnato, V. S.; de Souza Costa, C. A.

2013-05-01

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has been used for the treatment of dentinal hypersensitivity. However, the specific LLL dose and the response mechanisms of these cells to transdentinal irradiation have not yet been demonstrated. Therefore, this study evaluated the transdentinal effects of different LLL doses on stressed odontoblast-like pulp cells MDPC-23 seeded onto the pulpal side of dentin discs obtained from human third molars. The discs were placed in devices simulating in vitro pulp chambers and the whole set was placed in 24-well plates containing plain culture medium (DMEM). After 24 h incubation, the culture medium was replaced by fresh DMEM supplemented with either 5% (simulating a nutritional stress condition) or 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). The cells were irradiated with doses of 15 and 25 J cm-2 every 24 h, totaling three applications over three consecutive days. The cells in the control groups were removed from the incubator for the same times as used in their respective experimental groups for irradiation, though without activating the laser source (sham irradiation). After 72 h of the last active or sham irradiation, the cells were evaluated with respect to succinic dehydrogenase (SDH) enzyme production (MTT assay), total protein (TP) expression, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) synthesis, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for collagen type 1 (Col-I) and ALP, and morphology (SEM). For both tests, significantly higher values were obtained for the 25 J cm-2 dose. Regarding SDH production, supplementation of the culture medium with 5% FBS provided better results. For TP and ALP expression, the 25 J cm-2 presented higher values, especially for the 5% FBS concentration (Mann-Whitney p < 0.05). Under the tested conditions, near infrared laser irradiation at 25 J cm-2 caused transdentinal biostimulation of odontoblast-like MDPC-23 cells.

Simple efficient travelin-wave excitation of short-wavelength lasers using a conical pumping geometry.

PubMed

Silfvast, W T; Ii, O R

1989-01-01

A conically shaped pumping geometry can produce an efficient burst of laser radiation, without the need for an optical cavity, by restricting amplified spontaneous emission losses to a small region near the apex of the cone. Requirements on the active medium and on the size and intensity of the pumping source to make such a burst laser are derived. We calculate that a 15-mJ pulse of energy at 37.2 nm at an efficiency of 0.15% can be extracted from sodium vapor photoionized with radiation from a 1.06-microm-laser-produced plasma using this pumping geometry.

Photocatalytic activity of titania coatings synthesised by a combined laser/sol–gel technique

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Adraider, Y.; Pang, Y.X., E-mail: F6098038@tees.ac.uk; Nabhani, F.

2014-06-01

Highlights: • Sol–gel method was used to prepare titania coatings. • Titania thin films were coated on substrate surface by dip coating. • Fibre laser was employed to irradiate the titania coated surfaces. • Photocatalytic efficiency of titania coatings was significantly improved after laser processing. - Abstract: Titania coatings were prepared using sol–gel method and then applied on the substrate surface by dip coating. Fibre laser (λ = 1064 nm) in continuous wave mode was used to irradiate the titania coated surfaces at different specific energies. The ATR-FTIR, XRD, SEM, EDS and contact angle measurement were employed to analyse surfacemore » morphology, phase composition and crystalline structure of laser-irradiated titania coatings, whilst the photocatalytic activity was evaluated by measuring the decomposition of methylene blue (MB) after exposure to the visible light for various illumination times. Results showed that the laser-irradiated titania coatings demonstrate significant different composition and microstructure in comparison with the as-coated from the same sol–gel titania. Photocatalytic efficiency of titania coatings was significantly improved after laser processing. The photocatalytic activity of laser-irradiated titania coatings was higher than that of the as-coated titania. The titania coating processed at laser specific energy of 6.5 J/mm{sup 2} exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity among all titania samples.« less

Low-phonon-frequency chalcogenide crystalline hosts for rare earth lasers operating beyond three microns

DOEpatents

Payne, Stephen A.; Page, Ralph H.; Schaffers, Kathleen I.; Nostrand, Michael C.; Krupke, William F.; Schunemann, Peter G.

2000-01-01

The invention comprises a RE-doped MA.sub.2 X.sub.4 crystalline gain medium, where M includes a divalent ion such as Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Pb, Eu, or Yb; A is selected from trivalent ions including Al, Ga, and In; X is one of the chalcogenide ions S, Se, and Te; and RE represents the trivalent rare earth ions. The MA.sub.2 X.sub.4 gain medium can be employed in a laser oscillator or a laser amplifier. Possible pump sources include diode lasers, as well as other laser pump sources. The laser wavelengths generated are greater than 3 microns, as becomes possible because of the low phonon frequency of this host medium. The invention may be used to seed optical devices such as optical parametric oscillators and other lasers.

Optofluidic Bio-Lasers: Concept and Applications

PubMed Central

Fan, Xudong; Yun, Seok-Hyun

2014-01-01

An optofluidic bio-laser integrates biological materials into the gain medium while forming an optical cavity in the fluidic environment, either on a microfluidic chip or within a biological system. The laser emission has characteristics fundamentally different from conventional fluorescence emission. It can be highly sensitive to a specific molecular change in the gain medium as the light-matter interaction is amplified by the resonance in the cavity. The enhanced sensitivity can be used to probe and quantify the underlying biochemical and biological processes in vitro in a microfluidic device, in situ in a cell (cytosol), or in vivo in a live organism. Here we describe the principle of the optofluidic bio-laser, review its recent progress and provide an outlook of this emerging technology. PMID:24481219

Terahertz plasmonic laser radiating in an ultra-narrow beam

DOE PAGES

Wu, Chongzhao; Khanal, Sudeep; Reno, John L.; ...

2016-07-07

Plasmonic lasers (spasers) generate coherent surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) and could be realized at subwavelength dimensions in metallic cavities for applications in nanoscale optics. Plasmonic cavities are also utilized for terahertz quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs), which are the brightest available solid-state sources of terahertz radiation. A long standing challenge for spasers that are utilized as nanoscale sources of radiation, is their poor coupling to the far-field radiation. Unlike conventional lasers that could produce directional beams, spasers have highly divergent radiation patterns due to their subwavelength apertures. Here, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate a new technique for implementing distributed feedback (DFB) thatmore » is distinct from any other previously utilized DFB schemes for semiconductor lasers. The so-termed antenna-feedback scheme leads to single-mode operation in plasmonic lasers, couples the resonant SPP mode to a highly directional far-field radiation pattern, and integrates hybrid SPPs in surrounding medium into the operation of the DFB lasers. Experimentally, the antenna-feedback method, which does not require the phase matching to a well-defined effective index, is implemented for terahertz QCLs, and single-mode terahertz QCLs with a beam divergence as small as 4°×4° are demonstrated, which is the narrowest beam reported for any terahertz QCL to date. Moreover, in contrast to a negligible radiative field in conventional photonic band-edge lasers, in which the periodicity follows the integer multiple of half-wavelengths inside the active medium, antenna-feedback breaks this integer limit for the first time and enhances the radiative field of the lasing mode. Terahertz lasers with narrow-beam emission will find applications for integrated as well as standoff terahertz spectroscopy and sensing. Furthermore, the antenna-feedback scheme is generally applicable to any plasmonic laser with a Fabry–Perot cavity

Dependence of synchronized bursting activity on medium stirring and the perfusion rate in a cultured network of neurons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heo, Ryoun; Kim, Hyun; Lee, Kyoung J.

2016-05-01

A cultured network of neurons coupled with a multi-electrode-array (MEA) recording system has been a useful platform for investigating various issues in neuroscience and engineering. The neural activity supported by the system can be sensitive to environmental fluctuations, for example, in the medium's nutrient composition, ph, and temperature, and to mechanical disturbances, yet this issue has not been the subject. Especially, a normal practice in maintaining neuronal cell cultures involves an intermittent sequence of medium exchanges, typically at a time interval of a few days, and one such sudden medium exchange is unavoidably accompanied by many unintended disturbances. Here, based on a quantitative time-series analysis of synchronized bursting events, we explicitly demonstrate that such a medium exchange can, indeed, bring a huge change in the existing neural activity. Subsequently, we develop a medium perfusion-stirring system and an ideal protocol that can be used in conjunction with a MEA recording system, providing long-term stability. Specifically, we systematically evaluate the effects of medium stirring and perfusion rates. Unexpectedly, even some vigorous mechanical agitations do not have any impacts on neural activity. On the other hand, too much replenishment ( e.g., 1.8 ml/day for a 1.8-ml dish) of neurobasal medium results in an excitotoxicity.

Theory of a ring laser. [electromagnetic field and wave equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Menegozzi, L. N.; Lamb, W. E., Jr.

1973-01-01

Development of a systematic formulation of the theory of a ring laser which is based on first principles and uses a well-known model for laser operation. A simple physical derivation of the electromagnetic field equations for a noninertial reference frame in uniform rotation is presented, and an attempt is made to clarify the nature of the Fox-Li modes for an open polygonal resonator. The polarization of the active medium is obtained by using a Fourier-series method which permits the formulation of a strong-signal theory, and solutions are given in terms of continued fractions. It is shown that when such a continued fraction is expanded to third order in the fields, the familiar small-signal ring-laser theory is obtained.

Parasitic oscillation suppression in solid state lasers using absorbing thin films

DOEpatents

Zapata, L.E.

1994-08-02

A thin absorbing film is bonded onto at least certain surfaces of a solid state laser gain medium. An absorbing metal-dielectric multilayer film is optimized for a broad range of incidence angles, and is resistant to the corrosive/erosive effects of a coolant such as water, used in the forced convection cooling of the film. Parasitic oscillations hamper the operation of solid state lasers by causing the decay of stored energy to amplified rays trapped within the gain medium by total and partial internal reflections off the gain medium facets. Zigzag lasers intended for high average power operation require the ASE absorber. 16 figs.

Label free biosensor incorporating a replica-molded, vertically emitting distributed feedback laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, M.; Choi, S. S.; Wagner, C. J.; Eden, J. G.; Cunningham, B. T.

2008-06-01

A label free biosensor based upon a vertically emitting distributed feedback (DFB) laser has been demonstrated. The DFB laser comprises a replica-molded, one-dimensional dielectric grating coated with laser dye-doped polymer as the gain medium. Adsorption of biomolecules onto the laser surface alters the DFB laser emission wavelength, thereby permitting the kinetic adsorption of a protein polymer monolayer or the specific binding of small molecules to be quantified. A bulk sensitivity of 16.6nm per refractive index unit and the detection of a monolayer of the protein polymer poly(Lys, Phe) have been observed with this biosensor. The sensor represents a departure from conventional passive resonant optical sensors from the standpoint that the device actively generates its own narrowband high intensity output without stringent requirements on the coupling alignments, resulting in a simple, robust illumination and detection configuration.

Coaxial short pulsed laser

DOEpatents

Nelson, M.A.; Davies, T.J.

1975-08-01

This invention relates to a laser system of rugged design suitable for use in a field environment. The laser itself is of coaxial design with a solid potting material filling the space between components. A reservoir is employed to provide a gas lasing medium between an electrode pair, each of which is connected to one of the coaxial conductors. (auth)

Highly efficient solar-pumped Nd:YAG laser.

PubMed

Liang, Dawei; Almeida, Joana

2011-12-19

The recent progress in solar-pumped laser with Fresnel lens and Cr:Nd:YAG ceramic medium has revitalized solar laser researches, revealing a promising future for renewable reduction of magnesium from magnesium oxide. Here we show a big advance in solar laser collection efficiency by utilizing an economical Fresnel lens and a most widely used Nd:YAG single-crystal rod. The incoming solar radiation from the sun is focused by a 0.9 m diameter Fresnel lens. A dielectric totally internally reflecting secondary concentrator is employed to couple the concentrated solar radiation from the focal zone to a 4 mm diameter Nd:YAG rod within a conical pumping cavity. 12.3 W cw laser power is produced, corresponding to 19.3 W/m(2) collection efficiency, which is 2.9 times larger than the previous results with Nd:YAG single-crystal medium. Record-high slope efficiency of 3.9% is also registered. Laser beam quality is considerably improved by pumping a 3 mm diameter Nd:YAG rod.

Fission fragment excited laser system

DOEpatents

McArthur, David A.; Tollefsrud, Philip B.

1976-01-01

A laser system and method for exciting lasing action in a molecular gas lasing medium which includes cooling the lasing medium to a temperature below about 150 K and injecting fission fragments through the lasing medium so as to preferentially excite low lying vibrational levels of the medium and to cause population inversions therein. The cooled gas lasing medium should have a mass areal density of about 5 .times. 10.sup.-.sup.3 grams/square centimeter, relaxation times of greater than 50 microseconds, and a broad range of excitable vibrational levels which are excitable by molecular collisions.

Transversely diode-pumped alkali metal vapour laser

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Parkhomenko, A I; Shalagin, A M

2015-09-30

We have studied theoretically the operation of a transversely diode-pumped alkali metal vapour laser. For the case of high-intensity laser radiation, we have obtained an analytical solution to a complex system of differential equations describing the laser. This solution allows one to exhaustively determine all the energy characteristics of the laser and to find optimal parameters of the working medium and pump radiation (temperature, buffer gas pressure, and intensity and width of the pump spectrum). (lasers)

Intracavity dispersion effect on timing jitter of ultralow noise mode-locked semiconductor based external-cavity laser.

PubMed

Gee, S; Ozharar, S; Plant, J J; Juodawlkis, P W; Delfyett, P J

2009-02-01

We report the generation of optical pulse trains with 380 as of residual timing jitter (1 Hz-1 MHz) from a mode-locked external-cavity semiconductor laser, through a combination of optimizing the intracavity dispersion and utilizing a high-power, low-noise InGaAsP quantum-well slab-coupled optical waveguide amplifier gain medium. This is, to our knowledge, the lowest residual timing jitter reported to date from an actively mode-locked laser.

Quantification of the activity of biomolecules in microarrays obtained by direct laser transfer.

PubMed

Dinca, V; Ranella, A; Farsari, M; Kafetzopoulos, D; Dinescu, M; Popescu, A; Fotakis, C

2008-10-01

The direct-writing technique laser-induced forward transfer has been employed for the micro-array printing of liquid solutions of the enzyme horseradish peroxidase and the protein Titin on nitrocellulose solid surfaces. The effect of two UV laser pulse lengths, femtosecond and nanosecond has been studied in relation with maintaining the activity of the transferred biomolecules. The quantification of the active biomolecules after transfer has been carried out using Bradford assay, quantitative colorimetric enzymatic assay and fluorescence techniques. Spectrophotometric measurements of the HRP and the Titin activity as well as chromatogenic and fluorescence assay studies have revealed a connection between the properties of the deposited, biologically active biomolecules, the experimental conditions and the target composition. The bioassays have shown that up to 78% of the biomolecules remained active after femtosecond laser transfer, while this value reduced to 54% after nanosecond laser transfer. The addition of glycerol in a percentage up to 70% in the solution to be transferred has contributed to the stabilization of the micro-array patterns and the increase of their resolution.

Three-dimensional laser window formation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Verhoff, Vincent G.

1992-01-01

The NASA Lewis Research Center has developed and implemented a unique process for forming flawless three-dimensional laser windows. These windows represent a major part of specialized, nonintrusive laser data acquisition systems used in a variety of compressor and turbine research test facilities. This report discusses in detail the aspects of three-dimensional laser window formation. It focuses on the unique methodology and the peculiarities associated with the formation of these windows. Included in this discussion are the design criteria, bonding mediums, and evaluation testing for three-dimensional laser windows.

Organic holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal distributed feedback laser from different diffraction orders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Minghuan; Liu, Yonggang; Zhang, Guiyang; Peng, Zenghui; Li, Dayu; Ma, Ji; Xuan, Li

2016-11-01

Holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal (HPDLC) based distributed feedback (DFB) lasers were prepared with poly (-methoxy-5-(2‧-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene-vinylene) (MEH-PPV) film as the active medium layer. The HPDLC grating film was fabricated via holographic induced photopolymerization. The pure film spectra of MEH-PPV and the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) spectrum were investigated. The laser device was single-longitudinal mode operation. The tunability of the HPDLC DFB laser was achieved by selecting different grating periods. The lasing performances were also characterized and compared from different diffraction orders. The lasing threshold increased with the diffraction order and the third order laser possessed the largest conversion efficiency in this device. The experimental results were in good agreement with the theoretical calculations.

Increased viability of odontoblast-like cells subjected to low-level laser irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oliveira, C. F.; Basso, F. G.; Lins, E. C.; Kurachi, C.; Hebling, J.; Bagnato, V. S.; de Souza Costa, C. A.

2010-07-01

Studies have shown that the increase of cell metabolism depends on the low level laser therapy (LLLT) parameters used to irradiate the cells. However, the optimal laser dose to up-regulate pulp cell activity remains unknown. Consequently, the aim of this study was to evaluate the metabolic response of odontoblast-like cells (MDPC-23) exposed to different LLLT doses. Cells at 20000 cells/cm2 were seeded in 24-well plates using plain culture medium (DMEM) and were incubated in a humidified incubator with 5% CO2 at 37°C. After 24 h, the culture medium was replaced by fresh DMEM supplemented with 5% (stress by nutritional deficit) or 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). The cells were exposed to different laser doses from a near infrared diode laser prototype designed to provide a uniform irradiation of the wells. The experimental groups were: G1: 1.5 J/cm2 + 5% FBS; G2: 1.5 J/cm2 + 10% FBS; G3: 5 J/cm2 + 5% FBS; G4: 5 J/cm2 + 10% FBS; G5: 19 J/cm2 + 5% FBS; G6: 19 J/cm2 + 10% FBS. LLLT was performed in 3 consecutive irradiation cycles with a 24-hour interval. Non-irradiated cells cultured in DMEM supplemented with either 5 or 10% FBS served as control groups. The analysis of the metabolic response was performed by the MTT assay 3 h after the last irradiation. G1 presented an increase in SDH enzyme activity and differed significantly (Mann-Whitney test, p < 0.05) from the other groups. Analysis by scanning electron microscopy showed normal cell morphology in all groups. Under the tested conditions, LLLT stimulated the metabolic activity of MDPC-23 cultured in DMEM supplemented with 5% FBS and exposed to a laser dose of 1.5 J/cm2. These findings are relevant for further studies on the action of near infrared lasers on cells with odontoblast phenotype.

Laser metrology and optic active control system for GAIA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Angelo, F.; Bonino, L.; Cesare, S.; Castorina, G.; Mottini, S.; Bertinetto, F.; Bisi, M.; Canuto, E.; Musso, F.

2017-11-01

The Laser Metrology and Optic Active Control (LM&OAC) program has been carried out under ESA contract with the purpose to design and validate a laser metrology system and an actuation mechanism to monitor and control at microarcsec level the stability of the Basic Angle (angle between the lines of sight of the two telescopes) of GAIA satellite. As part of the program, a breadboard (including some EQM elements) of the laser metrology and control system has been built and submitted to functional, performance and environmental tests. In the followings we describe the mission requirements, the system architecture, the breadboard design, and finally the performed validation tests. Conclusion and appraisals from this experience are also reported.

Laser amplification of incoherent radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Menegozzi, L. N.; Lamb, W. E., Jr.

1978-01-01

The amplification of noise in a laser amplifier is treated theoretically. The model for the active medium and its description using density-matrix techniques, are taken from the theory of laser operation. The spectral behavior of the radiation in the nonlinear regime is studied and the formalism is written from the onset in the frequency domain. The statistics of the light are gradually modified by the nonlinear amplification process, and expressions are derived for the rate of change of fluctuations in intensity as a measure of statistical changes. In addition, the range of validity of Litvak's Gaussian-statistics approximation is discussed. In the homogeneous-broadening case, the evolution of initially broadband Gaussian radiation toward quasimonochromatic oscillations with laserlike statistics is explored in several numerical examples. The connections of this study with the time-domain work on self-pulsing in a ring-laser configuration, are established. Finally, spectral-narrowing and -rebroadening effects in Doppler-broadened media are discussed both analytically and with numerical examples. These examples show the distinct contribution of pulsations in the population ('Raman-type terms'), and saturation phenomena.

Active stabilization of a rapidly chirped laser by an optoelectronic digital servo-loop control.

PubMed

Gorju, G; Jucha, A; Jain, A; Crozatier, V; Lorgeré, I; Le Gouët, J-L; Bretenaker, F; Colice, M

2007-03-01

We propose and demonstrate a novel active stabilization scheme for wide and fast frequency chirps. The system measures the laser instantaneous frequency deviation from a perfectly linear chirp, thanks to a digital phase detection process, and provides an error signal that is used to servo-loop control the chirped laser. This way, the frequency errors affecting a laser scan over 10 GHz on the millisecond timescale are drastically reduced below 100 kHz. This active optoelectronic digital servo-loop control opens new and interesting perspectives in fields where rapidly chirped lasers are crucial.

Transient behavior of an actively mode-locked semiconductor laser diode

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Auyeung, J. C.; Bergman, L. A.; Johnston, A. R.

1982-01-01

Experimental investigation was carried out to study the transient regimes during the buildup and decay of the active mode-locked state in a laser diode. The mode locking was achieved through a sinusoidal modulation of the diode current with the laser in an external cavity. The pulse shape evolution and the time constants for the buildup and decay were determined.

Self-seeded single-frequency solid-state ring laser and system using same

DOEpatents

Dane, C. Brent; Hackel, Lloyd; Harris, Fritz B.

2007-02-20

A method of operating a laser to obtain an output pulse having a single wavelength, comprises inducing an intracavity loss into a laser resonator having an amount that prevents oscillation during a time that energy from the pump source is being stored in the gain medium. Gain is built up in the gain medium with energy from the pump source until formation of a single-frequency relaxation oscillation pulse in the resonator. Upon detection of the onset of the relaxation oscillation pulse, the intracavity loss is reduced, such as by Q-switching, so that the built-up gain stored in the gain medium is output from the resonator in the form of an output pulse at a single frequency. An electronically controllable output coupler is controlled to affect output pulse characteristics. The laser acts a master oscillator in a master oscillator power amplifier configuration. The laser is used for laser peening.

High repetition rate, high energy, actively Q-switched all-in-fiber laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lecourt, J. B.; Bertrand, A.; Guillemet, S.; Hernandez, Y.; Giannone, D.

2010-05-01

We report an actively Q-switched Ytterbium-doped all-in-fibre laser delivering 10ns pulses with high repetition rate (from 100kHz to 1MHz). The laser operation has been validated at three different wavelengths (1040, 1050 and 1064nm). The laser can deliver up to 20Watts average power with an high beam quality (M2 = 1).

Laser device and method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Myers, J. D.

1985-06-25

A simplified, relatively inexpensive laser device, wherein the laser elements are fixed in a body exoskeleton of electrical insulating material having a low coefficient of thermal expansion. The preferred embodiment includes a shotgun type laser filter having parallel bores which receive the laser flashlamp and laser rod in fixed relation in a body chamber. The reflector surrounds the laser filter and retains the filter within the body chamber. In the preferred method of this invention, several controlled lasing pulses are generated with each illumination pulse of the flashlamp, substantially increasing the efficiency of the laser device. The number of pulsesmore » is generally controlled by increasing the voltage to the flashlamp. The rapid multiple lasing pulses generate an elongated plasma in a fluid medium, such as the vitreous fluid body of an eye which makes the laser device extemely efficient for treating glaucoma and other medical treatments.« less

Metal halides vapor lasers with inner reactor and small active volume.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiyanov, D. V.; Sukhanov, V. B.; Evtushenko, G. S.

2018-04-01

Investigation of the energy characteristics of copper, manganese, lead halide vapor lasers with inner reactor and small active volume 90 cm3 was made. The optimal operating pulse repetition rates, temperatures, and buffer gas pressure for gas discharge tubes with internal and external electrodes are determined. Under identical pump conditions, such systems are not inferior in their characteristics to standard metal halide vapor lasers. It is shown that the use of a zeolite halogen generator provides lifetime laser operation.

Effect of nonlinearity saturation on hot-image formation in cascaded saturable nonlinear medium slabs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Youwen; Dai, Zhiping; Ling, Xiaohui; Chen, Liezun; Lu, Shizhuan; You, Kaiming

2016-11-01

In high-power laser system such as Petawatt lasers, the laser beam can be intense enough to result in saturation of nonlinear refraction index of medium. Based on the standard linearization method of small-scale self-focusing and the split-step Fourier numerical calculation method, we present analytical and simulative investigations on the hot-image formation in cascaded saturable nonlinear medium slabs, to disclose the effect of nonlinearity saturation on the distribution and intensity of hot images. The analytical and simulative results are found in good agreement. It is shown that, saturable nonlinearity does not change the distribution of hot images, while may greatly affect the intensity of hot images, i.e., for a given saturation light intensity, with the intensity of the incident laser beam, the intensity of hot images firstly increases monotonously and eventually reaches a saturation; for the incident laser beam of a given intensity, with the saturation light intensity lowering, the intensity of hot images decreases rapidly, even resulting in a few hot images too weak to be visible.

Edge-facet pumped, multi-aperture, thin-disk laser geometry for very high average power output scaling

DOEpatents

Zapata, Luis E.

2004-12-21

The average power output of a laser is scaled, to first order, by increasing the transverse dimension of the gain medium while increasing the thickness of an index matched light guide proportionately. Strategic facets cut at the edges of the laminated gain medium provide a method by which the pump light introduced through edges of the composite structure is trapped and passes through the gain medium repeatedly. Spontaneous emission escapes the laser volume via these facets. A multi-faceted disk geometry with grooves cut into the thickness of the gain medium is optimized to passively reject spontaneous emission generated within the laser material, which would otherwise be trapped and amplified within the high index composite disk. Such geometry allows the useful size of the laser aperture to be increased, enabling the average laser output power to be scaled.

Nanofabrication with Pulsed Lasers

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

An overview of pulsed laser-assisted methods for nanofabrication, which are currently developed in our Institute (LP3), is presented. The methods compass a variety of possibilities for material nanostructuring offered by laser–matter interactions and imply either the nanostructuring of the laser-illuminated surface itself, as in cases of direct laser ablation or laser plasma-assisted treatment of semiconductors to form light-absorbing and light-emitting nano-architectures, as well as periodic nanoarrays, or laser-assisted production of nanoclusters and their controlled growth in gaseous or liquid medium to form nanostructured films or colloidal nanoparticles. Nanomaterials synthesized by laser-assisted methods have a variety of unique properties, not reproducible by any other route, and are of importance for photovoltaics, optoelectronics, biological sensing, imaging and therapeutics. PMID:20672069

Thin disk lasers: history and prospects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Speiser, Jochen

2016-04-01

During the early 1990s, collaboration between the German Aerospace Center and the University of Stuttgart started to work on the Thin Disk concept. The core idea behind the thin disk design is the use of a thin, disk-shaped active medium that is cooled through one of the flat faces of the disk. This ensures a large surface-to-volume ratio and therefore provides very efficient thermal management. Today, the thin disk concept is used in various commercial lasers - ranging from compact, efficient low power systems to multi-kW lasers, including cw lasers and also pulsed (femtosecond to nanosecond) oscillators and amplifiers. The whole development of the Thin Disk laser was and will be accompanied by numerical modeling and optimization of the thermal and thermo-mechanic behavior of the disk and also the heat sink structure, mostly based on finite element models. For further increasing the energy and efficiency of pulsed Thin Disk lasers, the effects of amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) are a core issue. Actual efforts are oriented towards short pulse and ultra-short pulse amplifiers with (multi-)kW average power or Joule-class Thin Disk amplifiers, but also on new designs for cw thin disk MOPA designs.

The analytical approach to optimization of active region structure of quantum dot laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korenev, V. V.; Savelyev, A. V.; Zhukov, A. E.; Omelchenko, A. V.; Maximov, M. V.

2014-10-01

Using the analytical approach introduced in our previous papers we analyse the possibilities of optimization of size and structure of active region of semiconductor quantum dot lasers emitting via ground-state optical transitions. It is shown that there are optimal length' dispersion and number of QD layers in laser active region which allow one to obtain lasing spectrum of a given width at minimum injection current. Laser efficiency corresponding to the injection current optimized by the cavity length is practically equal to its maximum value.

1.3-microm optically-pumped semiconductor disk laser by wafer fusion.

PubMed

Lyytikäinen, Jari; Rautiainen, Jussi; Toikkanen, Lauri; Sirbu, Alexei; Mereuta, Alexandru; Caliman, Andrei; Kapon, Eli; Okhotnikov, Oleg G

2009-05-25

We report a wafer-fused high power optically-pumped semiconductor disk laser operating at 1.3 microm. An InP-based active medium was fused with a GaAs/AlGaAs distributed Bragg reflector, resulting in an integrated monolithic gain mirror. Over 2.7 W of output power, obtained at temperature of 15 degrees C, represents the best achievement reported to date for this type of lasers. The results reveal an essential advantage of the wafer fusing technique over both monolithically grown AlGaInAs/GaInAsP- and GaInNAs-based structures.

Mode-locked solid state lasers using diode laser excitation

DOEpatents

Holtom, Gary R [Boston, MA

2012-03-06

A mode-locked laser employs a coupled-polarization scheme for efficient longitudinal pumping by reshaped laser diode bars. One or more dielectric polarizers are configured to reflect a pumping wavelength having a first polarization and to reflect a lasing wavelength having a second polarization. An asymmetric cavity provides relatively large beam spot sizes in gain medium to permit efficient coupling to a volume pumped by a laser diode bar. The cavity can include a collimation region with a controlled beam spot size for insertion of a saturable absorber and dispersion components. Beam spot size is selected to provide stable mode locking based on Kerr lensing. Pulse durations of less than 100 fs can be achieved in Yb:KGW.

Tetravalent chromium (Cr(4+)) as laser-active ion for tunable solid-state lasers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seas, A.; Petricevic, V.; Alfano, Robert R.

1993-01-01

Major accomplishments under NASA grant NAG-1-1346 are summarized. (1) numerical modeling of the four mirror astigmatically compensated, Z-fold cavity was performed and several design parameters to be used for the construction of a femtosecond forsterite laser were revealed by simulation. (2) femtosecond pulses from a continuous wave mode-locked chromium doped forsterite laser were generated. The forsterite laser was actively mode-locked using an acousto-optic modulator operating at 78 MHz with two Brewster high dispersion glass prisms for intra-cavity chirp compensation. Transform-limited sub-100-fs pulses were routinely generated in the TEM(sub 00) mode with 85 mW of continuous power tunable over 1230-1280 nm. The shortest pulses of 60-fs pulsewidth were measured. (3) Self-mode-locked operation of the Cr:forsterite laser was achieved. Synchronous pumping was used to mode lock the forsterite laser resulting in picosecond pulses, which in turn provided the starting mechanism for self-mode-locking. The pulses generated had an FWHM of 105 fs and were tunable between 1230-1270 nm. (4) Numerical calculations indicated that the pair of SF 14 prisms used in the cavity compensated for quadratic phase but introduced a large cubic phase term. Further calculations of other optical glasses indicated that a pair of SFN 64 prisms can introduce the same amount of quadratic phase as SF 14 prisms but introduce a smaller cubic phase. When the SF 14 prisms were replaced by SFN 64 prisms the pulsewidth was reduced to 50 fs. Great improvement was observed in the stability of the self mode-locked forsterite laser and in the ease of achieving mode locking. Using the same experimental arrangement and a new forsterite crystal with improved FOM the pulse width was reduced to 36 fs.

The research of multi-frame target recognition based on laser active imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Can-jin; Sun, Tao; Wang, Tin-feng; Chen, Juan

2013-09-01

Laser active imaging is fit to conditions such as no difference in temperature between target and background, pitch-black night, bad visibility. Also it can be used to detect a faint target in long range or small target in deep space, which has advantage of high definition and good contrast. In one word, it is immune to environment. However, due to the affect of long distance, limited laser energy and atmospheric backscatter, it is impossible to illuminate the whole scene at the same time. It means that the target in every single frame is unevenly or partly illuminated, which make the recognition more difficult. At the same time the speckle noise which is common in laser active imaging blurs the images . In this paper we do some research on laser active imaging and propose a new target recognition method based on multi-frame images . Firstly, multi pulses of laser is used to obtain sub-images for different parts of scene. A denoising method combined homomorphic filter with wavelet domain SURE is used to suppress speckle noise. And blind deconvolution is introduced to obtain low-noise and clear sub-images. Then these sub-images are registered and stitched to combine a completely and uniformly illuminated scene image. After that, a new target recognition method based on contour moments is proposed. Firstly, canny operator is used to obtain contours. For each contour, seven invariant Hu moments are calculated to generate the feature vectors. At last the feature vectors are input into double hidden layers BP neural network for classification . Experiments results indicate that the proposed algorithm could achieve a high recognition rate and satisfactory real-time performance for laser active imaging.

Wavelength-resonant surface-emitting semiconductor laser

DOEpatents

Brueck, Steven R. J.; Schaus, Christian F.; Osinski, Marek A.; McInerney, John G.; Raja, M. Yasin A.; Brennan, Thomas M.; Hammons, Burrell E.

1989-01-01

A wavelength resonant semiconductor gain medium is disclosed. The essential feature of this medium is a multiplicity of quantum-well gain regions separated by semiconductor spacer regions of higher bandgap. Each period of this medium consisting of one quantum-well region and the adjacent spacer region is chosen such that the total width is equal to an integral multiple of 1/2 the wavelength in the medium of the radiation with which the medium is interacting. Optical, electron-beam and electrical injection pumping of the medium is disclosed. This medium may be used as a laser medium for single devices or arrays either with or without reflectors, which may be either semiconductor or external.

From quantum cascade to super cascade laser a new laser design paradigm for broad spectral emission & a re-examination of current spreading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le, Loan T.

Over the span of more than 20 years of development, the Quantum Cascade (QC) laser has positioned itself as the most viable mid-infrared (mid-IR) light source. Today's QC lasers emit watts of continuous wave power at room temperature. Despite significant progress, the mid-IR region remains vastly under-utilized. State-of-the-art QC lasers are found in high power defense applications and detection of trace gases with narrow absorption lines. A large number of applications, however, do not require so much power, but rather, a broadly tunable laser source to detect molecules with broad absorption features. As such, a QC laser that is broadly tunable over the entire biochemical fingerprinting region remains the missing link to markets such as non- invasive biomedical diagnostics, food safety, and stand-off detection in turbid media. In this thesis, we detail how we utilized the inherent flexibility of the QC design space to conceive a new type of laser with the potential to bridge that missing link of the QC laser to large commercial markets. Our design concept, the Super Cascade (SC) laser, works contrary to conventional laser design principle by supporting multiple independent optical transitions, each contributing to broadening the gain spectrum. We have demonstrated a room temperature laser gain medium with electroluminescence spanning 3.3-12.5 ?m and laser emission from 6.2-12.5 ?m, the record spectral width for any solid state laser gain medium. This gain bandwidth covers the entire biochemical fingerprinting region. The achievement of such a spectrally broad gain medium presents engineering challenges of how to optimally utilize the bandwidth. As of this work, a monolithi- cally integrated array of Distributed Feedback QC (DFB-QC) lasers is one of the most promising ways to fully utilize the SC gain bandwidth. Therefore, in this thesis, we explore ways of improving the yield and ease of fabrication of DFB-QC lasers, including a re-examination of the role of

Nanomechanical effects of light unveil photons momentum in medium

PubMed Central

Verma, Gopal; Chaudhary, Komal; Singh, Kamal P.

2017-01-01

Precision measurement on momentum transfer between light and fluid interface has many implications including resolving the intriguing nature of photons momentum in a medium. For example, the existence of Abraham pressure of light under specific experimental configuration and the predictions of Chau-Amperian formalism of optical momentum for TE and TM polarizations remain untested. Here, we quantitatively and cleanly measure nanomehanical dynamics of water surface excited by radiation pressure of a laser beam. We systematically scanned wide range of experimental parameters including long exposure times, angle of incidence, spot size and laser polarization, and used two independent pump-probe techniques to validate a nano- bump on the water surface under all the tested conditions, in quantitative agreement with the Minkowski’s momentum of light. With careful experiments, we demonstrate advantages and limitations of nanometer resolved optical probing techniques and narrow down actual manifestation of optical momentum in a medium. PMID:28198468

Pulse circuit apparatus for gas discharge laser

DOEpatents

Bradley, Laird P.

1980-01-01

Apparatus and method using a unique pulse circuit for a known gas discharge laser apparatus to provide an electric field for preconditioning the gas below gas breakdown and thereafter to place a maximum voltage across the gas which maximum voltage is higher than that previously available before the breakdown voltage of that gas laser medium thereby providing greatly increased pumping of the laser.

Polarizing Gires-Tournois interferometer as intra-cavity frequency-selective element in high-power lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuhmann, Karsten; Kirch, Klaus; Marszałek, Mirosław; Pototschnig, Martin; Sinkunaite, Laura; Wichmann, Gunther; Zeyen, Manuel; Antognini, Aldo

2018-02-01

We present a frequency selective optical setup based on a Gires-Tournois interferometer suitable to enforce single-frequency operation of high power lasers. It is based on a birefringent Gires-Tournois interferometer combined with a λ/4 plate and a polarizer. The high-reflective part of the Gires-Tournois interferometer can be contacted to a heat sink to obtain efficient cooling (similar cooling principle as for the active medium in thin-disk lasers) enabling power scaling up to output powers in the kW range.

Laser apparatus and method for microscopic and spectroscopic analysis and processing of biological cells

DOEpatents

Gourley, Paul L.; Gourley, Mark F.

1997-01-01

An apparatus and method for microscopic and spectroscopic analysis and processing of biological cells. The apparatus comprises a laser having an analysis region within the laser cavity for containing one or more biological cells to be analyzed. The presence of a cell within the analysis region in superposition with an activated portion of a gain medium of the laser acts to encode information about the cell upon the laser beam, the cell information being recoverable by an analysis means that preferably includes an array photodetector such as a CCD camera and a spectrometer. The apparatus and method may be used to analyze biomedical cells including blood cells and the like, and may include processing means for manipulating, sorting, or eradicating cells after analysis thereof.

Laser apparatus and method for microscopic and spectroscopic analysis and processing of biological cells

DOEpatents

Gourley, P.L.; Gourley, M.F.

1997-03-04

An apparatus and method are disclosed for microscopic and spectroscopic analysis and processing of biological cells. The apparatus comprises a laser having an analysis region within the laser cavity for containing one or more biological cells to be analyzed. The presence of a cell within the analysis region in superposition with an activated portion of a gain medium of the laser acts to encode information about the cell upon the laser beam, the cell information being recoverable by an analysis means that preferably includes an array photodetector such as a CCD camera and a spectrometer. The apparatus and method may be used to analyze biomedical cells including blood cells and the like, and may include processing means for manipulating, sorting, or eradicating cells after analysis. 20 figs.

An improved scan laser with a VO2 programmable mirror

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chivian, J. S.; Scott, M. W.; Case, W. E.; Krasutsky, N. J.

1985-04-01

A 10.6-microns scan laser has been constructed and operated with an off-axis cathode ray tube, high reflectance multilayer thin-film structures, and a tapered plasma discharge tube. Equations are given for the switching time of a high-reflectance spot on the VO2 and for the relation of scan laser output power to cavity geometry, cavity losses, and the gain of the active CO2 medium. A scan capability of 2100 easily resolvable directions was demonstrated, and sequential and randomly addressed spot rates of 100,000/sec were achieved. The equations relating output power and cavity mode size were experimentally verified using a nonscanned beam.

PHYSICAL EFFECTS OCCURRING DURING GENERATION AND AMPLIFICATION OF LASER RADIATION: Enhancement of the efficiency of flashlamp-pumped lasers by conversion of the spectral composition of the exciting radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levin, M. B.; Cherkasov, A. S.

1989-02-01

An account is given of the published investigations of ways of increasing the efficiency of flashlamp-pumped lasers by frequency conversion of the exciting radiation with the aid of luminescent filters. An analysis is made of the method for calculating the efficiency of luminescent filters absorbing short-wavelength radiation and reemitting it in the absorption region of the active medium. It is shown that the use of rhodamine 6G and other phosphors as luminescent filters can double the efficiency of neodymium glass lasers, increase the efficiency of YAG:Nd3+ lasers by a factor of 1.5, and improve the efficiency of lasers activated with Ti3+ by more than an order of magnitude. The use of luminescent filters in dye lasers can double the efficiency and make it possible to reach average output powers of hundreds of watts. Promising materials for luminescent filters are considered and margins for increasing their efficiency are analyzed. The main results are reported of studies of plasma pump-spectrum converters and it is shown that promising results can be expected by combining luminescent filters and an optimized plasma converter system in an "optical boiler" enclosure.

Continuous cultivation of Arthrospira platensis using exhausted medium treated with granular activated carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morocho-Jácome, Ana Lucía; Mascioli, Guilherme Favaro; Sato, Sunao; Carvalho, João Carlos Monteiro de

2015-03-01

Reusing culture medium of Arthrospira platensis is quite important in large scale production because its inappropriate disposal could exacerbate problems of environmental pollution. This study evaluates the suitability of using different quantities of exhausted Schlösser medium after continuous treatment using granular activated carbon (GAC) with a residence time (T) of 2 h for A. platensis growth in continuous cultivation. A tubular photobioreactor (PBR) and urea as cheap nitrogen source were used, taking as response variables kinetic parameters and biomass composition. The removal of both organic matter and pigment (OMR and PgR, respectively) was measured to evaluate the efficiency of the treatment process. This treatment process yielded high values of OMR (73.7 ± 0.1%) and PgR (52.4 ± 0.4%) using 75% treated medium, thereby A. platensis biomass with high protein content (42.0 ± 0.6%), 1568 ± 15 mg/L cell concentration under steady-state conditions and 941 mg/L d cell productivity. This alternative to simultaneous treatment with GAC for reuse of Schlösser medium in continuous cultivation could ensure no diminution in either cell productivity or protein content in A. platensis cultivation using tubular PBR with 65% reduction in medium culture costs.

Lasers. Technology Learning Activity. Teacher Edition. Technology Education Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oklahoma State Dept. of Vocational and Technical Education, Stillwater. Curriculum and Instructional Materials Center.

This document contains the materials required for presenting an 8-day competency-based technology learning activity (TLA) designed to introduce students in grades 6-10 to advances and career opportunities in the field of laser technology. The guide uses a series of hands-on exploratory experiences into which activities to help students develop…

Solar powered blackbody-pumped lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christiansen, Walter H.; Sirota, J. M.

1991-02-01

A concept for a solar-powered laser is presented which utilizes an intermediate blackbody cavity to provide a uniform optical pumping environment for the lasant, typically CO or CO2 or possibly a solid state laser medium. High power cw blackbody- pumped lasers with efficiencies on the order of 20 percent or more are feasible. The physical basis of this idea is reviewed. Small scale experiments using a high temperature oven as the optical pump have been carried out with gas laser mixtures. Detailed calculations showing a potential efficiency of 35 percent for blackbody pumped Nd:YAG system are discussed.

Possible repetitive pulse operation of diode-pumped alkali laser (DPAL)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Endo, Masamori

2017-01-01

A theoretical study has been conducted for investigating the possibility of a diode-pumped alkali laser (DPAL) operating in repetitive pulsed mode. A one-dimensional, time-dependent rate-equation simulation of a Cs DPAL was developed to calculate the dynamic behavior of the active medium when Q-switching or cavity dumping was applied. The simulation modeled our small-scale experimental apparatus. In the continuous-wave (CW) mode, the calculated output power was in good agreement with the experimental value. Q-switching was shown to be ineffective because of the short spontaneous lifetime of the active medium, on the order of 10 ns. On the other hand, cavity dumping was proven to be effective. In typical operational conditions, a 54 times increase in peak power with respect to the CW power was predicted.

Active mode-locking of mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers with short gain recovery time.

PubMed

Wang, Yongrui; Belyanin, Alexey

2015-02-23

We investigate the dynamics of actively modulated mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) using space- and time-domain simulations of coupled density matrix and Maxwell equations with resonant tunneling current taken into account. We show that it is possible to achieve active mode locking and stable generation of picosecond pulses in high performance QCLs with a vertical laser transition and a short gain recovery time by bias modulation of a short section of a monolithic Fabry-Perot cavity. In fact, active mode locking in QCLs with a short gain recovery time turns out to be more robust to the variation of parameters as compared to previously studied lasers with a long gain recovery time. We investigate the effects of spatial hole burning and phase locking on the laser output.

Overview of the laser activities at Rheinmetall Waffe Munition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ludewigt, Klaus; Riesbeck, Thomas; Schünemann, B.; Graf, A.; Jung, Markus; Schreiber, Th.; Eberhardt, Ramona; Tünnermann, A.

2012-11-01

The paper will give an overview over the laser weapon activities at RWM (Rheinmetall Waffe Munition) over the last years. Starting from the actual scenarios for laser weapon applications as: CRAM (Counter Rocket Artillery Mortar), Air Defence and UXO (unexploded ordnance) clearing. The basic requirements of a future laser weapon as beam diameter, beam quality, tracking capability, adaptive optics were deduced. For the UXO scenario a mobile directed energy laser demonstrator for humanitarian mine and UXO clearing based on fiber lasers is presented. Based on the parameters the system concept including the cooling system, power supply and the integration into the armoured vehicle TM 170 are explained. The contribution show first experiments of UXO and IED clearing. Different technical approaches to achieve laser power in the 100 kW regime combined with very good beam quality are discussed to fulfil the requirements of the CRAM and Air Defence scenario. Spectral coupling and the beam superimposing both are performed by Rheinmetall Waffe Munition. At the spectral coupling the basic technology parameters for the fiber laser and the dielectric grating as the latest results were put into context with the power levels reached at other groups. For the beam super imposing technology the basic experiments regarding the tracking capability and compensation of the atmosphere on the test range at Unterlüß will be explained. A generic 10 kW Laser Weapon Demonstrator based on 2 Laser Weapon Modules (LWM) from RWM each 5 kW fiber Laser with beam forming and tracking integrate by the team of RWM and RAD (Rheinmetall Air Defense) into a Ground based Air Defend system consisting of Skyguard and Millenium turret are presented. The flight path of the UAV within the valley of the life firing range at Ochsenboden Switzerland is shown. Selected results of the successful tests against UAV's are presented. It shows the capability of the generic 10 kW Laser Weapon Demonstrator to track and

Research on laser protection: an overview of 20 years of activities at Fraunhofer IOSB

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritt, G.; Walter, D.; Eberle, B.

2013-10-01

Since the advent of the laser in 1960, the protection of human eyes and sensors against intended or unintended damage by laser radiation is a hot research topic. As long as the parameters of a laser source such as the wavelength and the output power are known, adequate laser safety can be ensured simply by utilizing conventional laser protection filters which are based on absorption or interference effects. This is typically the case in cooperative environments like a laboratory or industrial facilities. A very different situation prevails in military defense or civil security. There, the parameters of encountering laser threats are usually unknown. Protection measures, helping against all types of laser threats, are the long desired objective of countless research activities. The biggest challenge in finding an effective measure arises from single laser pulses of unknown wavelength. The problem demands for a passive protection concept and may be based for example on intensity dependent effects. Moreover, the requested solutions shall comprise add-on possibilities like thin films to be put on existing optics, windshields or glasses. Unfortunately, such an all-embracing solution is still far out of reach. The Fraunhofer IOSB has been working on the evaluation and development of non-conventional laser protection methods for more than 20 years. An overview of the past and present research activities shall be presented, comprising protection measures against laser damaging and laser dazzling.

Innovative discharge geometries for diffusion-cooled gas lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lapucci, Antonio

2004-09-01

Large area, narrow discharge gap, diffusion cooled gas lasers are nowadays a well established technology for the construction of industrial laser sources. Successful examples exist both with the slab (Rofin-Sinar) or coaxial (Trumpf) geometry. The main physical properties and the associated technical problems of the transverse large area RF discharge, adopted for the excitation of high power diffusion cooled gas lasers, are reviewed here. The main problems of this technology are related to the maintenance of a uniform and stable plasma excitation between closely spaced large-area electrodes at high power-density loading. Some practical solutions such as distributed resonance of the discharge channel proved successful in the case of square or rectangular cross-sections but hardly applicable to geometries such as that of coaxial electrodes. In this paper we present some solutions, adopted by our group, for the development of slab and annular CO2 lasers and for CO2 laser arrays with linear or circular symmetry. We will also briefly mention the difficulties encountered in the extraction of a good quality beam from an active medium with such a cross section. A problem that has also seen some interesting solutions.

Large volume multiple-path nuclear pumped laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hohl, F.; Deyoung, R. J. (Inventor)

1981-01-01

Large volumes of gas are excited by using internal high reflectance mirrors that are arranged so that the optical path crosses back and forth through the excited gaseous medium. By adjusting the external dielectric mirrors of the laser, the number of paths through the laser cavity can be varied. Output powers were obtained that are substantially higher than the output powers of previous nuclear laser systems.

Highly efficient end-side-pumped Nd:YAG solar laser by a heliostat-parabolic mirror system.

PubMed

Almeida, J; Liang, D; Vistas, C R; Guillot, E

2015-03-10

We report a large improvement in the collection and slope efficiency of an Nd:YAG solar laser pumped by a heliostat-parabolic mirror system. A conical fused silica lens was used to further concentrate the solar radiation from the focal zone of a 2 m diameter primary concentrator to a Nd:YAG single-crystal rod within a conical pump cavity, which enabled multipass pumping to the active medium. A 56 W cw laser power was measured, corresponding to 21.1  W/m2 record-high solar laser collection efficiency with the heliostat-parabolic mirror system. 4.9% slope efficiency was calculated, corresponding to 175% enhancement over our previous result.

Laser light-scattering spectroscopy: a new application in the study of ciliary activity.

PubMed Central

Lee, W I; Verdugo, P

1976-01-01

A uniquely precise and simple method to study ciliary activity by laser light-scattering spectroscopy has been developed and validated. A concurrent study of the effect of Ca2+ on ciliary activity in vitro by laser scattering spectroscopy and high speed cinematography has demonstrated that this new method is simpler and as accurate and reproducible as the high speed film technique. PMID:963208

Buckling, stiffening, and negative dissipation in the dynamics of a biopolymer in an active medium

PubMed Central

Kikuchi, Norio; Ehrlicher, Allen; Koch, Daniel; Käs, Josef A.; Ramaswamy, Sriram; Rao, Madan

2009-01-01

We present a generic theory for the dynamics of a stiff filament under tension, in an active medium with orientational correlations, such as a microtubule in contractile actin. In sharp contrast to the case of a passive medium, we find the filament can stiffen, and possibly oscillate or buckle, depending on both the contractile or tensile nature of the activity and the filament-medium anchoring interaction. We also demonstrate a strong violation of the fluctuation–dissipation (FD) relation in the effective dynamics of the filament, including a negative FD ratio. Our approach is also of relevance to the dynamics of axons, and our model equations bear a remarkable formal similarity to those in recent work [Martin P, Hudspeth AJ, Juelicher F (2001) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 98:14380–14385] on auditory hair cells. Detailed tests of our predictions can be made by using a single filament in actomyosin extracts or bacterial suspensions. PMID:19901332

Luminescence properties of femtosecond-laser-activated silver oxide nanoparticles embedded in a biopolymer matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gleitsmann, T.; Bernhardt, T. M.; Wöste, L.

2006-01-01

Strong visible luminescence is observed from silver clusters generated by femtosecond-laser-induced reduction of silver oxide nanoparticles embedded in a polymeric gelatin matrix. Light emission from the femtosecond-laser-activated matrix areas considerably exceeds the luminescence intensity of similarly activated bare silver oxide nanoparticle films. Optical spectroscopy of the activated polymer films supports the assignment of the emissive properties to the formation of small silver clusters under focused femtosecond-laser irradiation. The size of the photogenerated clusters is found to sensitively depend on the laser exposure time, eventually leading to the formation of areas of metallic silver in the biopolymer matrix. In this case, luminescence can still be observed in the periphery of the metallic silver structures, emphasizing the importance of the organic matrix for the stabilization of the luminescent nanocluster structures at the metal matrix interface.

Tunable radio-frequency photonic filter based on an actively mode-locked fiber laser.

PubMed

Ortigosa-Blanch, A; Mora, J; Capmany, J; Ortega, B; Pastor, D

2006-03-15

We propose the use of an actively mode-locked fiber laser as a multitap optical source for a microwave photonic filter. The fiber laser provides multiple optical taps with an optical frequency separation equal to the external driving radio-frequency signal of the laser that governs its repetition rate. All the optical taps show equal polarization and an overall Gaussian apodization, which reduces the sidelobes. We demonstrate continuous tunability of the filter by changing the external driving radio-frequency signal of the laser, which shows good fine tunability in the operating range of the laser from 5 to 10 GHz.

Modeling and optimization of actively Q-switched Nd-doped quasi-three-level laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Renpeng; Yu, Xin; Li, Xudong; Chen, Deying; Gao, Jing

2013-09-01

The energy transfer upconversion and the ground state absorption are considered in solving the rate equations for an active Q-switched quasi-three-level laser. The dependence of output pulse characters on the laser parameters is investigated by solving the rate equations. The influence of the energy transfer upconversion on the pulsed laser performance is illustrated and discussed. By this model, the optimal parameters could be achieved for arbitrary quasi-three-level Q-switched lasers. An acousto-optical Q-switched Nd:YAG 946 nm laser is constructed and the reliability of the theoretical model is demonstrated.

Solar-pumped fiber laser with transverse-excitation geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masuda, Taizo; Iyoda, Mitsuhiro; Yasumatu, Yuta; Yamashita, Tomohiro; Sasaki, Kiyoto; Endo, Masamori

2018-02-01

In this paper, we demonstrate an extremely low-concentrated solar-pumped laser (SPL) that uses a transversely excited fiber laser geometry. To eliminate the need for precise solar tracking with an aggressive cooling system and to considerably increase the number of laser applications, low-concentration factors in SPLs are highly desired. We investigate the intrinsic low-loss property of SiO2 optical fibers; this property can be used to compensate for the extremely low gain coefficient of the weakly-pumped active medium by sunlight. As part of the experimental setup, a 40-m long Nd3+-doped SiO2 fiber coil was packed in a ring-shaped chamber filled with a sensitizer solution; this solution functioned as a down-shifter. The dichroic top window of the chamber transmitted a wide range of sunlight and reflected the down-shifted photons, confining them to the highly-reflective chamber until they were absorbed by the Nd3+ ions in the active fiber. We demonstrated a lasing threshold that is 10 times the concentration of natural sunlight and two orders of magnitude smaller than that of conventional SPLs.

Laser action by optically depumping lower states

DOEpatents

Krupke, William F.

1977-01-01

A method and apparatus for obtaining laser action between an upper energy level and a lower energy level of a gaseous medium, which comprises populating the upper energy level to some degree (short of achieving a conventional inverted population) by any suitable pumping means, and thereafter establishing an inverted population by transiently and selectively depumping the lower energy level such as by exposing the medium to an intense source of radiation which selectively causes the transformation of the lower energy level species to some other energy level. Thus, a thermally pumped/optically depumped gas laser system is produced.

Laser action by optically depumping lower states

DOEpatents

Krupke, W.F.

1975-11-26

A method and apparatus are described for obtaining laser action between an upper energy level and a lower energy level of a gaseous medium. The upper energy level is populated to some degree (short of achieving a conventional inverted population) by any suitable pumping means, and an inverted population is established by transiently and selectively depumping the lower energy level. The depumping may be done by exposing the medium to an intense source of radiation which selectively causes the transformation of the lower energy level species to some other energy level. Thus, a thermally pumped/optically depumped gas laser system is produced.

Laser-activated solid protein bands for peripheral nerve repair: an vivo study.

PubMed

Lauto, A; Trickett, R; Malik, R; Dawes, J M; Owen, E R

1997-01-01

Severed tibial nerves in rats were repaired using a novel technique, utilizing a semiconductor diode-laser-activated protein solder applied longitudinally across the join. Welding was produced by selective laser denaturation of solid solder bands containing the dye indocyanine green. An in vivo study, using 48 adult male Wistar rats, compared conventional microsuture-repaired tibial nerves with laser solder-repaired nerves. Nerve repairs were characterised immediately after surgery and after 3 months. Successful regeneration with average compound muscle action potentials of 2.5 +/- 0.5 mV and 2.7 +/- 0.3 mV (mean and standard deviation) was demonstrated for the laser-soldered nerves and the sutured nerves, respectively. Histopathology confirmed comparable regeneration of axons in laser- and suture-operated nerves. The laser-based nerve repair technique was easier and faster than microsuture repair, minimising manipulation damage to the nerve.

Active mode locking of quantum cascade lasers in an external ring cavity.

PubMed

Revin, D G; Hemingway, M; Wang, Y; Cockburn, J W; Belyanin, A

2016-05-05

Stable ultrashort light pulses and frequency combs generated by mode-locked lasers have many important applications including high-resolution spectroscopy, fast chemical detection and identification, studies of ultrafast processes, and laser metrology. While compact mode-locked lasers emitting in the visible and near infrared range have revolutionized photonic technologies, the systems operating in the mid-infrared range where most gases have their strong absorption lines, are bulky and expensive and rely on nonlinear frequency down-conversion. Quantum cascade lasers are the most powerful and versatile compact light sources in the mid-infrared range, yet achieving their mode-locked operation remains a challenge, despite dedicated effort. Here we report the demonstration of active mode locking of an external-cavity quantum cascade laser. The laser operates in the mode-locked regime at room temperature and over the full dynamic range of injection currents.

Active mode locking of quantum cascade lasers in an external ring cavity

PubMed Central

Revin, D. G.; Hemingway, M.; Wang, Y.; Cockburn, J. W.; Belyanin, A.

2016-01-01

Stable ultrashort light pulses and frequency combs generated by mode-locked lasers have many important applications including high-resolution spectroscopy, fast chemical detection and identification, studies of ultrafast processes, and laser metrology. While compact mode-locked lasers emitting in the visible and near infrared range have revolutionized photonic technologies, the systems operating in the mid-infrared range where most gases have their strong absorption lines, are bulky and expensive and rely on nonlinear frequency down-conversion. Quantum cascade lasers are the most powerful and versatile compact light sources in the mid-infrared range, yet achieving their mode-locked operation remains a challenge, despite dedicated effort. Here we report the demonstration of active mode locking of an external-cavity quantum cascade laser. The laser operates in the mode-locked regime at room temperature and over the full dynamic range of injection currents. PMID:27147409

Active Interrogation of Sensitive Nuclear Material Using Laser Driven Neutron Beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Favalli, Andrea; Roth, Markus

2015-05-01

An investigation of the viability of a laser-driven neutron source for active interrogation is reported. The need is for a fast, movable, operationally safe neutron source which is energy tunable and has high-intensity, directional neutron production. Reasons for the choice of neutrons and lasers are set forth. Results from the interrogation of an enriched U sample are shown.

Laser-activated nano-biomaterials for tissue repair and controlled drug release

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matteini, P; Ratto, F; Rossi, F

2014-07-31

We present recent achievements of minimally invasive welding of biological tissue and controlled drug release based on laser-activated nano-biomaterials. In particular, we consider new advancements in the biomedical application of near-IR absorbing gold nano-chromophores as an original solution for the photothermal repair of surgical incisions and as nanotriggers of controlled drug release from hybrid biopolymer scaffolds. (laser biophotonics)

Medium-power diode-pumped Nd:BaY2F8 laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agnesi, Antonio; Guandalini, Annalisa; Lucca, Andrea; Sani, Elisa; Toncelli, Alessandra; Tonelli, Mauro; dell'Acqua, Stefano

2003-05-01

We report what is to our knowledge the first Nd:BaY2F8 (Nd:BaYF) laser pumped with a multiwatt fiber-coupled diode array tuned at approximately 804 nm. As much as 2.4 W were obtained with 6.2 W of absorbed pump power, showing efficient operation (51% slope efficiency), excellent beam quality (M2=1.1), and weak thermal lensing. Small intracavity losses (<1%) were measured, indicating both reduced thermally induced aberrations and good optical quality of the laser crystal.

Effects of laser fluence and liquid media on preparation of small Ag nanoparticles by laser ablation in liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moura, Caroline Gomes; Pereira, Rafael Santiago Floriani; Andritschky, Martin; Lopes, Augusto Luís Barros; Grilo, João Paulo de Freitas; Nascimento, Rubens Maribondo do; Silva, Filipe Samuel

2017-12-01

This study aims to assess a method for preparation of small and highly stable Ag nanoparticles by nanosecond laser ablation in liquid. Effect of liquid medium and laser fluence on the size, morphology and structure of produced nanoparticles has been studied experimentally. Pulses of a Nd:YAG laser of 1064 nm wavelength at 35 ns pulse width at different fluences were employed to irradiate the silver target in different environments (water, ethanol and acetone). The UV-Visible absorption spectra of nanoparticles exhibit surface plasmon resonance absorption peak in the UV region. STEM and TEM micrographs were used to evaluate the size and shape of nanoparticles. The stability of silver colloids in terms of oxidation at different liquid media was analyzed by SAED patterns. The results showed that characteristics of Ag nanoparticles and their production rate were strongly influenced by varying laser fluence and liquid medium. Particles from 2 to 80 nm of diameter were produced using different conditions and no oxidation was found in ethanol and acetone media. This work puts in evidence a promising approach to produce small nanoparticles by using high laser fluence energy.

General analysis of slab lasers using geometrical optics.

PubMed

Chung, Te-yuan; Bass, Michael

2007-02-01

A thorough and general geometrical optics analysis of a slab-shaped laser gain medium is presented. The length and thickness ratio is critical if one is to achieve the maximum utilization of absorbed pump power by the laser light in such a medium; e.g., the fill factor inside the slab is to be maximized. We point out that the conditions for a fill factor equal to 1, laser light entering and exiting parallel to the length of the slab, and Brewster angle incidence on the entrance and exit faces cannot all be satisfied at the same time. Deformed slabs are also studied. Deformation along the width direction of the largest surfaces is shown to significantly reduce the fill factor that is possible.

Progress on Raman laser for sodium resonance fluorescence lidar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Steven X.; Yu, Anthony W.; Krainak, Michael A.; Bai, Yingxin; Konoplev, Oleg; Fahey, Molly E.; Numata, Kenji

2018-02-01

We are developing a Q-switched narrow linewidth intra-cavity Raman laser for a space based sodium lidar application. A novel Raman laser injection seeding scheme is proposed and is experimentally verified. A Q-switched, diode pumped, c-cut Nd:YVO4 laser has been designed to emit a fundamental wavelength at 1066.6 nm. This fundamental wavelength is used as the pump in an intra-cavity Raman conversion in a Gd0.2Y0.8VO4 composite material. By tuning the temperature of the crystal, we tuned the Raman shifting to the desired sodium absorption line. A diode end pumped, T-shaped laser cavity has been built for experimental investigation. The fundamental pump laser cavity is a twisted mode cavity to eliminate the spatial hole burning for effective injection seeding. The Raman laser cavity is a linear standing wave cavity because Raman gain medium does not suffer spatial hole burning as traditional laser gain medium. The linewidth and temporal profile of the Raman laser is experimentally investigated with narrow and broadband fundamental pump emission. We have, for the first time, demonstrated an injection seeded, high peak power, narrow linewidth intra-cavity Raman laser for potential use in a sodium resonance fluorescence lidar.

Research on range-gated laser active imaging seeker

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

You, Mu; Wang, PengHui; Tan, DongJie

2013-09-01

Compared with other imaging methods such as millimeter wave imaging, infrared imaging and visible light imaging, laser imaging provides both a 2-D array of reflected intensity data as well as 2-D array of range data, which is the most important data for use in autonomous target acquisition .In terms of application, it can be widely used in military fields such as radar, guidance and fuse. In this paper, we present a laser active imaging seeker system based on range-gated laser transmitter and sensor technology .The seeker system presented here consist of two important part, one is laser image system, which uses a negative lens to diverge the light from a pulse laser to flood illuminate a target, return light is collected by a camera lens, each laser pulse triggers the camera delay and shutter. The other is stabilization gimbals, which is designed to be a rotatable structure both in azimuth and elevation angles. The laser image system consists of transmitter and receiver. The transmitter is based on diode pumped solid-state lasers that are passively Q-switched at 532nm wavelength. A visible wavelength was chosen because the receiver uses a Gen III image intensifier tube with a spectral sensitivity limited to wavelengths less than 900nm.The receiver is image intensifier tube's micro channel plate coupled into high sensitivity charge coupled device camera. The image has been taken at range over one kilometer and can be taken at much longer range in better weather. Image frame frequency can be changed according to requirement of guidance with modifiable range gate, The instantaneous field of views of the system was found to be 2×2 deg. Since completion of system integration, the seeker system has gone through a series of tests both in the lab and in the outdoor field. Two different kinds of buildings have been chosen as target, which is located at range from 200m up to 1000m.To simulate dynamic process of range change between missile and target, the seeker system has

Pulse generation without gain-bandwidth limitation in a laser with self-similar evolution.

PubMed

Chong, A; Liu, H; Nie, B; Bale, B G; Wabnitz, S; Renninger, W H; Dantus, M; Wise, F W

2012-06-18

With existing techniques for mode-locking, the bandwidth of ultrashort pulses from a laser is determined primarily by the spectrum of the gain medium. Lasers with self-similar evolution of the pulse in the gain medium can tolerate strong spectral breathing, which is stabilized by nonlinear attraction to the parabolic self-similar pulse. Here we show that this property can be exploited in a fiber laser to eliminate the gain-bandwidth limitation to the pulse duration. Broad (∼200 nm) spectra are generated through passive nonlinear propagation in a normal-dispersion laser, and these can be dechirped to ∼20-fs duration.

O2(b1∑+g) relaxation in active medium of oxygen-iodine laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tolstov, G. I.; Zagidullin, M. V.; Khvatov, N. A.; Medvedkov, I. A.; Mikheyev, P. A.

2018-04-01

Rate constants for the removal of O2 b1∑+g by collisions with O2, N2, CO2 and H2O have been determined at temperature 297 K. O2(b1 ∑+g) was excited by pulses from a tunable dye laser, and the deactivation kinetics were followed by observing the temporal behavior of the b1∑+g - X3∑-g fluorescence. The removal rate constants for CO2, N2 and H2O were not strongly dependent on temperature, and could be represented by the expressions kCO2=(1.8+/-0.05)×10-16 kN2=(2.2 +/- 0.2)×10-15, and kH2O=(6.12+/-0.67)×10-12 cm3 molecule-1 s-1. Rate constant for O2(b1∑+ ) removal by O2(X), being orders of magnitude lower, represented by the fitted expression kO2=(3.67 +/- 0.06)×10-17 cm3 molecule-1 s-1. All of the rate constants measured at room temperature were found to be in good agreement with previously reported values.

Metal-coated magnetic nanoparticles in an optically active medium: A nonreciprocal metamaterial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christofi, Aristi; Stefanou, Nikolaos

2018-03-01

We report on the optical response of a nonreciprocal bianisotropic metamaterial, consisting of spherical, metal-coated magnetic nanoparticles embedded in an optically active medium, thus combining gyrotropy, plasmonic resonances, and chirality in a versatile design. The corresponding effective medium is deduced by an appropriate two-step generalized Maxwell-Garnett homogenization scheme. The associated photonic band structure and transmission spectra are obtained through a six-vector formulation of Maxwell equations, which provides an efficient framework for general bianisotropic structures going beyond existing approaches that involve cumbersome nonlinear eigenvalue problems. Our results, analyzed and discussed in the light of group theory, provide evidence that the proposed metamaterial exhibits some remarkable frequency-tunable properties, such as strong, plasmon-enhanced nonreciprocal polarization azimuth rotation and magnetochiral dichroism.

Theoretical and experimental study of a laser-diode-pumped actively Q-switched Yb:NaY(WO4)2 laser with acoustic-optic modulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Haikun; Xia, Wei; Song, Peng; Wang, Jing; Li, Xin

2018-03-01

A laser-diode-pumped actively Q-switched Yb:NaY(WO4)2 laser operating at around 1040 nm is presented for the first time with acoustic-optic modulator. The dependence of pulse width on incident pump power for different pulse repetition rates is measured. By considering the Guassian spatial distribution of the intracavity photon density and the initial population-inversion density as well as the longitudinal distribution of the photon density along the cavity axis and the turn off time of the acoustic-optic Q-switch, the coupled equations of the actively Q-switched Yb:NaY(WO4)2 laser are given. The coupled rate equations are used to simulate the Q-switched process of laser, and the numerical solutions agree with the experimental results.

Diode end pumped laser and harmonic generator using same

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byer, Robert L. (Inventor); Dixon, George J. (Inventor); Kane, Thomas J. (Inventor)

1988-01-01

A second harmonic, optical generator is disclosed in which a laser diode produces an output pumping beam which is focused by means of a graded, refractive index rod lens into a rod of lasant material, such as Nd:YAG, disposed within an optical resonator to pump the lasant material and to excite the optical resonator at a fundamental wavelength. A non-linear electro-optic material such as MgO:LiNbO.sub.3 is coupled to the excited, fundamental mode of the optical resonator to produce a non-linear interaction with the fundamental wavelength producing a harmonic. In one embodiment, the gain medium and the non-linear material are disposed within an optical resonator defined by a pair of reflectors, one of which is formed on a face of the gain medium and the second of which is formed on a face of the non-linear medium. In another embodiment, the non-linear, electro-optic material is doped with the lasant ion such that the gain medium and the non-linear doubling material are co-extensive in volume. In another embodiment, a non-linear, doubling material is disposed in an optical resonator external of the laser gai medium for improved stability of the second harmonic generation process. In another embodiment, the laser gain medium andthe non-linear material are bonded together by means of an optically transparent cement to form a mechanically stable, monolithic structure. In another embodiment, the non-linear material has reflective faces formed thereon to define a ring resonator to decouple reflections from the non-linear medium back to the gain medium for improved stability.

Phillips CO-oxidation catalyts for long-lived CO2 lasers: Activity and initial characterization studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kolts, J. H.; Elliott, D. J.; Pennella, F.

1990-01-01

Four different catalysts have been developed specifically for use in sealed carbon dioxide lasers. The catalysts have been designed to be low dusting, stable to shock and vibration, have high activity at low temperatures and have long active lifetimes. Measured global CO oxidation rates range from 1.4 to 2.2 cc CO converted per minute per gram of catalyst at ambient temperature. The catalysts also retain substantial activity at temperatures as low as -35 C. The Phillips laser catalysts are prepared in a variety of different shapes to meet the different pressure drop and gas flow profiles present in the many different styles of lasers. Each catalyst has been tested in sealed TEA lasers and has been shown to substantially increase the sealed life of the laser. Activity measurements made on the precious metal catalysts which were prepared with and without activity promoters showed that the promoter materials increase catalyst CO oxidation activity at least an order of magnitude at ambient temperature. Initial studies using H2 and CO chemisorption, X ray diffraction (XRD) and X ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) have shown that the activity promoters do not significantly affect the precious metal crystallite size or the electronic structure around the precious metal. In addition, the formation or lack of formation of solid solutions between the precious metal and promoters has also been shown not to affect the activity of the promoted catalyst.

Spectral evolution of distributed feedback laser of gold nanoparticles doped solid-state dye laser medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

An, N. T. M.; Lien, N. T. H.; Hoang, N. D.; Nghia, N. T.; Hoa, D. Q.

2017-10-01

Characteristics of suppressed relaxation oscillation of a distributed feedback dye laser (DFDL) based on the energy transfer process in a mixture of spherical gold nanoparticles-doped solid-state polymethylmetacrylate dissolved 4-(Dicyanomethylene)-2-methyl-6-(4-dimethylaminostyryl)-4H-pyran dye was theoretically and experimentally studied. Single pulse generation regime of the DFDL can be obtained with a suitable gold nanoparticle concentration and ratio of pump power over lasing threshold. Numerical analysis and experimental approach showed that in this regime, the first-pulse laser pulsewidth is rather unchanged while varying the gold nanoparticles concentration in the range of 2.0 × 109-2.0 × 1010 par cm-3. The enhancement of first pulse and the suppression of the secondary pulses by bi-direction energy transfer of spherical gold nanoparticles were experimentally observed.

Studies of new media radiation induced laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Han, K. S.; Shiu, Y. J.; Raju, S. R.; Hwang, I. H.; Tabibi, B.

1984-01-01

Various lasants were investigated especially, 2-iodohepafluoropropane (i-C3F7I) for the direct solar pumped lasers. Optical pumping of iodine laser was achieved using a small flashlamp. Using i-C3F7I as a laser gain medium, threshold inversion density, small signal gain, and laser performance at the elevated temperature were measured. The experimental results and analysis are presented. The iodine laser kinetics of the C3F7I and IBr system were numerically simulated. The concept of a direct solar-pumped laser amplifier using (i-C3F7I) as the laser material was evaluated and several kinetic coefficients for i-C3F7I laser system were reexamined. The results are discussed.

generation of picosecond pulses in solid-state lasers using new active media

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lisitsyn, V.N.; Matrosov, V.N.; Pestryakov, E.V.

Results are reported of investigations aimed at generating nanosecond radiation pulses in solid-state lasers using new active media having broad gain lines. Passive mode locking is accomplished for the first time in a BeLa:Nd/sup 3/ laser at a wavelength 1.354 microm, and in a YAG:Nd/sup 3/ laser on a 1.32-microm transition. The free lasing and mode-locking regimes were investigated in an alexandrite (BeA1/sub 2/O/sub 4/:Cr/sup 3/) laser in the 0.72-0.78-microm range and in a synchronously pumped laser on F/sub 2//sup -/ centers in LiF in the 1.12-1.24-microm region. The features of nonlinear perception of IR radiation by the eye, usingmore » a developed picosecond laser on F/sub 2//sup -/ centers, are investigated for the first time.« less

Thermooptics of magnetoactive media: Faraday isolators for high average power lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khazanov, E. A.

2016-09-01

The Faraday isolator, one of the key high-power laser elements, provides optical isolation between a master oscillator and a power amplifier or between a laser and its target, for example, a gravitational wave detector interferometer. However, the absorbed radiation inevitably heats the magnetoactive medium and leads to thermally induced polarization and phase distortions in the laser beam. This self-action process limits the use of Faraday isolators in high average power lasers. A unique property of magnetoactive medium thermooptics is that parasitic thermal effects arise on the background of circular birefringence rather than in an isotropic medium. Also, even insignificant polarization distortions of the radiation result in a worse isolation ratio, which is the key characteristic of the Faraday isolator. All possible laser beam distortions are analyzed for their deteriorating effect on the Faraday isolator parameters. The mechanisms responsible for and key physical parameters associated with different kinds of distortions are identified and discussed. Methods for compensating and suppressing parasitic thermal effects are described in detail, the published experimental data are systematized, and avenues for further research are discussed based on the results achieved.

Generation of double giant pulses in actively Q-switched lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korobeynikova, A. P.; Shaikin, I. A.; Shaykin, A. A.; Koryukin, I. V.; Khazanov, E. A.

2018-04-01

Generation of a second giant pulse in a longitudinal mode neighbouring to the longitudinal mode possessing minimal losses is theoretically and experimentally studied in actively Q-switched lasers. A mathematical model is suggested for explaining the giant pulse generation in a laser with multiple longitudinal modes. The model makes allowance for not only a standing, but also a running wave for each cavity mode. Results of numerical simulation and data of experiments with a Nd : YLF laser explain the effect of second giant pulse generation in a neighbouring longitudinal mode. After a giant pulse in the mode with minimal losses is generated, the threshold for the neighbouring longitudinal mode is still exceeded due to the effect of burning holes in the population inversion spatial distribution.

Active eye-tracking for an adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope

PubMed Central

Sheehy, Christy K.; Tiruveedhula, Pavan; Sabesan, Ramkumar; Roorda, Austin

2015-01-01

We demonstrate a system that combines a tracking scanning laser ophthalmoscope (TSLO) and an adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) system resulting in both optical (hardware) and digital (software) eye-tracking capabilities. The hybrid system employs the TSLO for active eye-tracking at a rate up to 960 Hz for real-time stabilization of the AOSLO system. AOSLO videos with active eye-tracking signals showed, at most, an amplitude of motion of 0.20 arcminutes for horizontal motion and 0.14 arcminutes for vertical motion. Subsequent real-time digital stabilization limited residual motion to an average of only 0.06 arcminutes (a 95% reduction). By correcting for high amplitude, low frequency drifts of the eye, the active TSLO eye-tracking system enabled the AOSLO system to capture high-resolution retinal images over a larger range of motion than previously possible with just the AOSLO imaging system alone. PMID:26203370

Resonantly diode-pumped Er:YAG laser: 1470-nm versus 1530-nm CW pumping case

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kudryashov, Igor; Ter-Gabrielyan, Nikolai; Dubinskii, Mark

2009-05-01

Growing interest to high power lasers in the eye-safe spectral domain initiated a new wave of activity in developing solid-state lasers based on bulk Er3+-doped materials. The resonant pumping of SSL allows for shifting significant part of thermal load from gain medium itself to the pump diodes, thus greatly reducing gain medium thermal distortions deleterious to SSL power scaling with high beam quality. The two major resonant pumping bands in Er:YAG are centered around 1470 and 1532 nm. Pumping into each of these bands has its pros and contras. The best approach to resonant pumping of Er:YAG active media in terms of pump wavelength is yet to be determined. We report the investigation results of high power diode-pumped Er:YAG laser aimed at direct comparison of resonant pumping at 1470 and 1532 nm. Two sources used for pumping were: 1530-nm 10-diode bar stack (>300 W CW) and 1470-nm 10-diode bar stack (>650 W CW). Both pumps were spectrally narrowed by external volume Bragg gratings. The obtained spectral width of less than 1 nm allowed for 'in-line' pumping of Er3+ in either band. The obtained CW power of over 87 W is, to the best of our knowledge, the record high power reported for resonantly pumped Er:YAG DPSSL at room temperature.

Medium-dependent interactions of quinones with cytosine and cytidine: a laser flash photolysis study with magnetic field effect.

PubMed

Bose, Adity; Basu, Samita

2009-03-01

Laser flash photolysis and an external magnetic field have been used for the study of the interaction of two quinone molecules, namely, 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ) and 2-methyl 1,4-naphthoquinone (or menadione, MQ) with a DNA base, cytosine (C) and its nucleoside cytidine (dC) in two media, a homogeneous one composed of acetonitrile/water (ACN/H(2)O, 9:1, v/v) and a SDS micellar heterogeneous one. We have applied an external magnetic field for the proper identification of the transients formed during the interactions in micellar media. Cytosine exhibits electron transfer (ET) followed by hydrogen abstraction (HA) while dC reveals a reduced ET compared to C, with both quinones in organic homogeneous medium (ACN/H(2)O). Due to a higher electron affinity, AQ supports more faciler ET than MQ with dC in ACN/H(2)O but observations in SDS have been just the reverse. In SDS, ET from dC is completely quenched and a dominant HA is all that could be discerned. This work reveals two main findings: first, a drop in ET on addition of a ribose unit to C, which has been attributed to a role of keto-enol tautomerism in inducing ET from electron-rich nucleus and second, the effect of medium in controlling reaction mechanism by favoring HA with AQ although it is intrinsically more prone towards ET.

Electron beam method and apparatus for obtaining uniform discharges in electrically pumped gas lasers

DOEpatents

Fenstermacher, Charles A.; Boyer, Keith

1986-01-01

A method and apparatus for obtaining uniform, high-energy, large-volume electrical discharges in the lasing medium of a gas laser whereby a high-energy electron beam is used as an external ionization source to ionize substantially the entire volume of the lasing medium which is then readily pumped by means of an applied potential less than the breakdown voltage of the medium. The method and apparatus are particularly useful in CO.sub.2 laser systems.

Low intensity 635 nm diode laser irradiation inhibits fibroblast-myofibroblast transition reducing TRPC1 channel expression/activity: New perspectives for tissue fibrosis treatment.

PubMed

Sassoli, Chiara; Chellini, Flaminia; Squecco, Roberta; Tani, Alessia; Idrizaj, Eglantina; Nosi, Daniele; Giannelli, Marco; Zecchi-Orlandini, Sandra

2016-03-01

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) or photobiomodulation therapy is emerging as a promising new therapeutic option for fibrosis in different damaged and/or diseased organs. However, the anti-fibrotic potential of this treatment needs to be elucidated and the cellular and molecular targets of the laser clarified. Here, we investigated the effects of a low intensity 635 ± 5 nm diode laser irradiation on fibroblast-myofibroblast transition, a key event in the onset of fibrosis, and elucidated some of the underlying molecular mechanisms. NIH/3T3 fibroblasts were cultured in a low serum medium in the presence of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and irradiated with a 635 ± 5 nm diode laser (continuous wave, 89 mW, 0.3 J/cm(2) ). Fibroblast-myofibroblast differentiation was assayed by morphological, biochemical, and electrophysiological approaches. Expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 and of Tissue inhibitor of MMPs, namely TIMP-1 and TIMP-2, after laser exposure was also evaluated by confocal immunofluorescence analyses. Moreover, the effect of the diode laser on transient receptor potential canonical channel (TRPC) 1/stretch-activated channel (SAC) expression and activity and on TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling was investigated. Diode laser treatment inhibited TGF-β1-induced fibroblast-myofibroblast transition as judged by reduction of stress fibers formation, α-smooth muscle actin (sma) and type-1 collagen expression and by changes in electrophysiological properties such as resting membrane potential, cell capacitance and inwardly rectifying K(+) currents. In addition, the irradiation up-regulated the expression of MMP-2 and MMP-9 and downregulated that of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in TGF-β1-treated cells. This laser effect was shown to involve TRPC1/SAC channel functionality. Finally, diode laser stimulation and TRPC1 functionality negatively affected fibroblast-myofibroblast transition by interfering with TGF-β1 signaling, namely reducing the

Laser simulation applying Fox-Li iteration: investigation of reason for non-convergence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paxton, Alan H.; Yang, Chi

2017-02-01

Fox-Li iteration is often used to numerically simulate lasers. If a solution is found, the complex field amplitude is a good indication of the laser mode. The case of a semiconductor laser, for which the medium possesses a self-focusing nonlinearity, was investigated. For a case of interest, the iterations did not yield a converged solution. Another approach was needed to explore the properties of the laser mode. The laser was treated (unphysically) as a regenerative amplifier. As the input to the amplifier, we required a smooth complex field distribution that matched the laser resonator. To obtain such a field, we found what would be the solution for the laser field if the strength of the self focusing nonlinearity were α = 0. This was used as the input to the laser, treated as an amplifier. Because the beam deteriorated as it propagated multiple passes in the resonator and through the gain medium (for α = 2.7), we concluded that a mode with good beam quality could not exist in the laser.

The effects of a physical activity intervention on employees in small and medium enterprises: a mixed methods study.

PubMed

Edmunds, Sarah; Stephenson, Duncan; Clow, Angela

2013-01-01

Workplaces have potential as a setting for physical activity promotion but evidence of the effectiveness of intervention programmes in small and medium sized enterprises is limited. This paper reports the impact of an intervention which trained existing employees to promote physical activity to their colleagues. Eighty-nine previously low-active employees from 17 small and medium sized organisations participated. A mixed methods evaluation design was used. Quantitative data were collected at baseline and 6 months later using an online questionnaire. Qualitative data from a series of 6 focus groups were analysed. Repeated measures t-tests showed significant increases over time in physical activity, general health rating, satisfaction with life and positive mood states. There were significant decreases in body mass index (BMI), perceived stress, negative mood states and presenteeism. There was no change in absenteeism. Analysis of focus group data provided further insight into the impact of the intervention. Five major themes emerged: awareness of physical activity; sustaining physical activity behaviour change; improved health and well-being; enhanced social networks; and embedding physical activity in the workplace culture. This study shows it is feasible and effective to train employees in small and medium sized enterprises to support their colleagues in physical activity behaviour change.

The contact neodymium-yttrium aluminum garnet laser. A new approach to arthroscopic laser surgery.

PubMed

O'Brien, S J; Miller, D V

1990-03-01

Arthroscopic treatment of meniscal lesions has been modified as technological advances have occurred. However, alternatives to conventional arthroscopic cutting tools, including electrocautery and CO2 lasers, have thus far met with limited success. The recent development of a sapphire tip has enabled the use of the neodymium-yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd-YAG) laser in a contact mode in a saline medium. This study compares the biology of the Nd-YAG laser to that of electrocautery and scalpel techniques with respect to its effects on articular cartilage and the meniscus. The contact Nd-YAG laser has advantages over both scalpel and electrocautery with regard to its effects on articular cartilage. It also has significant biologic advantages over electrocautery for meniscal lesions. Although in its infancy in the clinical setting, the contact Nd-YAG laser represents the possible beginning of a new era for application of laser energy in arthroscopy.

Research on the laser angle deception jamming technology of laser countermeasure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Shi-wei; Chen, Wen-jian; Gao, Wei; Duan, Yuan-yuan

2015-10-01

In recent years , laser guided weapons behave very well at destroying the military goals in the local wars, the single-shot probability, effective range and hitting precision getting better. And the semi-active laser guided weapons are the most widely used laser guided weapons. In order to improve the viability and protect important military goals, it's necessary to study the technology to against the semi-active guided weapons. This paper studies the working principle, the advantages and disadvantages of the semi-active guided weapons at first, and analyze the possibility of laser angle deception jamming system working. Then it analyzes the working principle and process of laser angle deception jamming technology. Finally it designs a half-real simulation system of laser angle deception jamming, which consists of semi-active laser guided weapons simulation system and laser angle deception jamming system. The simulation system demonstrates the working process of the laser angle deception jamming system. This paper provides fundamental base for the research on the countermeasure technology of semi-active laser guided weapons.

Theory of active mode locking of a semiconductor laser in an external cavity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yeung, J. A.

1981-01-01

An analytical treatment is given for the active mode locking of a semiconductor laser in an external resonator. The width of the mode-locked pulses is obtained as a function of the laser and cavity parameters and the amount of frequency detuning. The effects of self-modulation and saturation are included in the treatment. The pulse output is compared with that obtained by a strong modulation of the laser diode with no external cavity.

Rapid Detection and Identification of Candidemia by Direct Blood Culturing on Solid Medium by Use of Lysis-Centrifugation Method Combined with Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS).

PubMed

Idelevich, Evgeny A; Grünastel, Barbara; Becker, Karsten

2017-01-01

Candida sepsis is a life-threatening condition with increasing prevalence. In this study, direct blood culturing on solid medium using a lysis-centrifugation procedure enabled successful Candida species identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time of flight mass spectrometry on average 3.8 h (Sabouraud agar) or 7.4 h (chocolate agar) before the positivity signal for control samples in Bactec mycosis-IC/F or Bactec Plus aerobic/F bottles, respectively. Direct culturing on solid medium accelerated candidemia diagnostics compared to that with automated broth-based systems. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Microbiology.

High power gas laser amplifier

DOEpatents

Leland, Wallace T.; Stratton, Thomas F.

1981-01-01

A high power output CO.sub.2 gas laser amplifier having a number of sections, each comprising a plurality of annular pumping chambers spaced around the circumference of a vacuum chamber containing a cold cathode, gridded electron gun. The electron beam from the electron gun ionizes the gas lasing medium in the sections. An input laser beam is split into a plurality of annular beams, each passing through the sections comprising one pumping chamber.

Effects of active flux on plasma behavior and weld shape in laser welding of X5CrNi189 stainless steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Hongbin; Peng, Jun

2016-11-01

In this paper, stainless steel was welded by active flux-aided laser welding method. The effects of single active flux (Cr2O3, SiO2 and TiO2) and composite active flux on laser welding were studied. In the welding process, laser plasma behavior was recorded by a high-speed imaging system. The results show that, with the addition of active flux, the absorption of laser energy and melting efficiency increase. In the laser power of 750 W, effects of active flux on weld depth to width ratio are given by the order: composite active flux > SiO2 > Cr2O3 > TiO2. The effect of composite active flux is the most significant and it can increase the weld depth to width ratio to 85%. Active flux can restrict the laser plasma. With the addition of composite active flux, the projected area of laser plasma obtained obviously reduced, and it can be reduced by 41.39%. Active flux cannot obviously change the main components in weld zone, but can change the grains of austenite and ferrite.

Damping of acoustic waves in a 1 kHz repetition rate XeCl laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sentis, M. L.; Canarelli, P.; Delaporte, Ph.; Forestier, B. M.; Fontaine, B. L.

To increase the pulse repetition frequency, the average power, and the beam quality of excimer laser systems, the problem of damping of the strong acoustic waves induced by the active medium excitation must be solved. In order to achieve this goal, different electrodes and acoustic damping configuration have been studied. Excitation of the active medium at high repetition rate (up to 1000 Hz) in a subsonic loop was achieved by means of a classical discharge, through transfer capacitors. The discharge is preionized by X-rays generated by a wire ion plasma gun. The effects of different kinds of electrodes (solid, screen, nickel felt) and transversal acoustic dampers on the stability of the discharge and on the pulse to pulse output energy are discussed.

Laser annealed in-situ P-doped Ge for on-chip laser source applications (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Srinivasan, Ashwyn; Pantouvaki, Marianna; Shimura, Yosuke; Porret, Clement; Van Deun, Rik; Loo, Roger; Van Thourhout, Dries; Van Campenhout, Joris

2016-05-01

(1620nm) of the setup. Therefore, the 18× enhancement is a lower limit estimation. In this contribution, an extensive study of laser annealing conditions and their impact on material properties will be discussed. A major concern in using highly doped Ge as an active medium is the increase in free-carrier absorption (FCA). However, results reported in [4] suggest that FCA is significantly dominated by holes due to larger absorption cross-section of holes compared to electrons. The FCA results in [4] and JDOS modeling were used to calculate the gain spectrum for the highest doped Ge samples, including the typical 0.25% biaxial tensile strain of epitaxial Ge on Si. A carrier lifetime of 3 ns is required as shown in Fig. 3 for a target threshold current density of sub-20 kA/cm2 which represents at least tenfold reduction when compared to active P-doping level of 6×1019 cm-3. As a result, laser annealed highly doped Ge layers grown with Ge2H6 precursors are a promising approach for realizing a power efficient on-chip Ge laser source.

Influence of lasing parameters on the cleaning efficacy of laser-activated irrigation with pulsed erbium lasers.

PubMed

Meire, Maarten A; Havelaerts, Sophie; De Moor, Roeland J

2016-05-01

Laser-activated irrigation (LAI) using erbium lasers is an irrigant agitation technique with great potential for improved cleaning of the root canal system, as shown in many in vitro studies. However, lasing parameters for LAI vary considerably and their influence remains unclear. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the influence of pulse energy, pulse frequency, pulse length, irradiation time and fibre tip shape, position and diameter on the cleaning efficacy of LAI. Transparent resin blocks containing standardized root canals (apical diameter of 0.4 mm, 6% taper, 15 mm long, with a coronal reservoir) were used as the test model. A standardized groove in the apical part of each canal wall was packed with stained dentin debris. The canals were filled with irrigant, which was activated by an erbium: yttrium aluminium garnet (Er:YAG) laser (2940 nm, AT Fidelis, Fotona, Ljubljana, Slovenia). In each experiment, one laser parameter was varied, while the others remained constant. In this way, the influence of pulse energy (10-40 mJ), pulse length (50-1000 μs), frequency (5-30 Hz), irradiation time (5-40 s) and fibre tip shape (flat or conical), position (pulp chamber, canal entrance, next to groove) and diameter (300-600 μm) was determined by treating 20 canals per parameter. The amount of debris remaining in the groove after each LAI procedure was scored and compared among the different treatments. The parameters significantly (P < 0.05, Kruskal-Wallis) affecting debris removal from the groove were fibre tip position, pulse length, pulse energy, irradiation time and frequency. Fibre tip shape and diameter had no significant influence on the cleaning efficacy.

Biomedical applications of laser photoionization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Xiaoxiong; Moore, Larry J.; Fassett, John R.; O'Haver, Thomas C.

1991-07-01

Trace elements are important for many essential metabolic functions. Zinc is a structural/functional component in more than 200 enzymes active in the biochemistry of cell division and tissue growth, neurology and endocrine control. Calcium is involved in intracellular control mechanisms and in skeletal bone building and resorption processes related to osteoporosis. Sensitive and selective laser photoionization is being developed to understand mechanisms in smaller samples and biological units approaching the cellular domain. Zinc has an ionization potential of 9.4 eV, or 75766.8 cm-1. Several processes are being explored, including two-photon resonant, three- photon ionization utilizing sequential UV transitions, e.g., 4s2 1S0 yields 4s4p 3P1 and 4s4p 3P1 yields 4s5d 3D1. Preliminary zinc stable isotope ratio data obtained by thermal atomization and laser photoionization agree with accepted values within 2 to 5%, except for anomalous 67Zn. Photoionization of calcium is being studied for isotope enrichment and ratio measurement using narrow and medium bandwidth lasers. Several ionization pathways, e.g., 4s2 1S0 - 2hv1 yields 4s10s - hv2 yields Ca+ (4s2S), are being investigated for isotopically selective ionization. Auto-ionization pathways are explored for greater efficiency in isotopic analysis. All studies have utilized a Nd:YAG- pumped laser system with one or two frequency-doubled tunable dye lasers coupled either to a magnetic sector or time-of-flight mass spectrometer.

Fabrication and characterization of Tm3+-Ho3+ co-doped tellurite glass microsphere lasers operating at ∼2.1 μm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Zhengsheng; Wu, Yuehao; Yang, Kun; Xu, Peipeng; Zhang, Wei; Dai, Shixun; Xu, Tiefeng

2017-10-01

We used a Tm3+-Ho3+ co-doped tellurite glass as the laser medium to build active microsphere laser resonators. A droplet method is implemented and hundreds of high quality microspheres can be fabricated simultaneously. Typical Quality factors (Q-factors) of microspheres fabricated in this work reach 106. Silica fiber tapers are used as the coupling mechanism and a commercial 808 nm laser diode is used as the pump source. Laser lines at ∼2.1 μm can be observed in the emission spectrum of these active microsphere resonators. Pump thresholds for generating single mode laser lines in a 59.52 μm diameter microsphere is measured to be 0.887 mW and as the pump power is increased to 1.413 mW, multi-mode laser lines can be generated. We also demonstrate microsphere lasers fabricated in this work can be thermally tuned with a temperature sensitivity of 32 pm/°C, implying these microspheres can be used as highly compact temperature sensors in various mid-infrared applications.

Experimental Studies of the He-Ne Laser: Resonators and Self-Locking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruddock, I. S.

1980-01-01

He-Ne laser experiments suitable for an undergraduate laboratory are described. The topics covered are cavity stability, self-mode-locking coherent interactions between pulses and laser medium, and spontaneous transverse mode locking. (Author/DS)

Microwave accelerator E-beam pumped laser

DOEpatents

Brau, Charles A.; Stein, William E.; Rockwood, Stephen D.

1980-01-01

A device and method for pumping gaseous lasers by means of a microwave accelerator. The microwave accelerator produces a relativistic electron beam which is applied along the longitudinal axis of the laser through an electron beam window. The incident points of the electron beam on the electron beam window are varied by deflection coils to enhance the cooling characteristics of the foil. A thyratron is used to reliably modulate the microwave accelerator to produce electron beam pulses which excite the laser medium to produce laser pulse repetition frequencies not previously obtainable. An aerodynamic window is also disclosed which eliminates foil heating problems, as well as a magnetic bottle for reducing laser cavity length and pressures while maintaining efficient energy deposition.

Effect of optical fiber type and absorption medium on the endovenous laser ablation mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ignatieva, N. Yu; Zakharkina, O. L.; Mazayshvili, C. V.; Bagratashvili, V. N.; Lunin, V. V.

2017-10-01

Our experimental investigation was aimed at revealing the mechanism behind the action of laser radiation on venous wall under endovenous laser ablation conditions. We determined the critical laser power P cr at which the objective effect of complete denaturation of the vascular tissue collagen was attained for two types of optical fiber in the presence and absence of blood cells. We demonstrated that for the radial optical fiber the presence of blood cells had no effect on the magnitude of P cr, which came to 4.3  ±  0.1 and 5.6  ±  01 W for 1.56 and 1.47 µm lasers, respectively. For the bare fiber and 1.56 µm laser, P cr increased up to 5.2  ±  0.2 W in a blood-filled vessel and up to 7.1  ±  0.2 W when the blood was replaced by a sodium chloride solution. Our data show that the heating and degradation of insufficient veins go on more effectively when the tissue is heated by laser radiation directly absorbed therein, rather than the red-hot carbonized optical fiber tip.

Efficient laser noise reduction method via actively stabilized optical delay line.

PubMed

Li, Dawei; Qian, Cheng; Li, Ye; Zhao, Jianye

2017-04-17

We report a fiber laser noise reduction method by locking it to an actively stabilized optical delay line, specifically a fiber-based Mach-Zehnder interferometer with a 10 km optical fiber spool. The fiber spool is used to achieve large arm imbalance. The heterodyne signal of the two arms converts the laser noise from the optical domain to several megahertz, and it is used in laser noise reduction by a phase-locked loop. An additional phase-locked loop is induced in the system to compensate the phase noise due to environmentally induced length fluctuations of the optical fiber spool. A major advantage of this structure is the efficient reduction of out-of-loop frequency noise, particularly at low Fourier frequency. The frequency noise reaches -30 dBc/Hz at 1 Hz, which is reduced by more than 90 dB compared with that of the laser in its free-running state.

Relay telescope for high power laser alignment system

DOEpatents

Dane, C. Brent; Hackel, Lloyd; Harris, Fritz B.

2006-09-19

A laser system includes an optical path having an intracavity relay telescope with a telescope focal point for imaging an output of the gain medium between an image location at or near the gain medium and an image location at or near an output coupler for the laser system. A kinematic mount is provided within a vacuum chamber, and adapted to secure beam baffles near the telescope focal point. An access port on the vacuum chamber is adapted for allowing insertion and removal of the beam baffles. A first baffle formed using an alignment pinhole aperture is used during alignment of the laser system. A second tapered baffle replaces the alignment aperture during operation and acts as a far-field baffle in which off angle beams strike the baffle a grazing angle of incidence, reducing fluence levels at the impact areas.

Axicon-based annular laser trap for studies on sperm activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Bing; Vinson, Jaclyn M.; Botvinick, Elliot L.; Esener, Sadik C.; Berns, Michael W.

2005-08-01

As a powerful and noninvasive tool, laser trapping has been widely applied for the confinement and physiological study of biological cells and organelles. Researchers have used the single spot laser trap to hold individual sperm and quantitatively evaluated the motile force generated by a sperm. Early studies revealed the relationship between sperm motility and swimming behavior and helped the investigations in medical aspects of sperm activity. As sperm chemotaxis draws more and more interest in fertilization research, the studies on sperm-egg communication may help to explain male or female infertility and provide exciting new approaches to contraception. However, single spot laser trapping can only be used to investigate an individual target, which has limits in efficiency and throughput. To study the chemotactic response of sperm to eggs and to characterize sperm motility, an annular laser trap with a diameter of several hundred microns is designed, simulated with ray tracing tool, and implemented. An axicon transforms the wavefront such that the laser beam is incident on the microscope objective from all directions while filling the back aperture completely for high efficiency trapping. A trapping experiment with microspheres is carried out to evaluate the system performance. The power requirement for annular sperm trapping is determined experimentally and compared with theoretical calculations. With a chemo-attractant located in the center and sperm approaching from all directions, the annular laser trapping could serve as a speed bump for sperm so that motility characterization and fertility sorting can be performed efficiently.

Photothermal and photoacoustic processes of laser activated nano-thermolysis of cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lapotko, Dmitri; Lukianova, Ekaterina; Mitskevich, Pavel; Smolnikova, Victoria; Potapnev, Michail; Konopleva, Marina; Andreeff, Michael; Oraevsky, Alexander

2007-02-01

Laser Activated Nano-Thermolysis was recently proposed for selective damage of individual target (cancer) cells by pulsed laser induced microbubbles around superheated clusters of optically absorbing nanoparticles (NP). One of the clinical applications of this technology is the elimination of residual tumor cells from human blood and bone marrow. Clinical standards for the safety and efficacy of such procedure require the development and verification of highly selective and controllable mechanisms of cell killing. Our previous experiments showed that laser-induced microbubble is the main damaging factor in the case cell irradiation by short laser pulses above the threshold. Our current aim was to study the cell damage mechanisms and analyze selectivity and efficacy of cell damage as a function of NP parameters, NP-cell interaction conditions, and conditions of bubble generation around NP and NP clusters in cells. Generation of laser-induced bubbles around gold NP with diameters 10-250 nm was studied in Acute Myeloblast Leukemia (AML) cultures, normal stem and model K562 human cells. Short laser pulses (10 ns, 532 nm) were applied to those cells in vitro and the processes in cells were investigated with photothermal, fluorescent and atomic force microscopies and also with fluorescence flow cytometry. We have found that the best selectivity of cell damage is achieved by (1) forming large clusters of optically absorbing NP in target cells and (2) irradiating the cells with single laser pulses with the lowest fluence that can generate microbubble only around large clusters but not around single NP. Laser microbubbles with the lifetime from 20 ns to 2000 ns generated in individual cells caused damage and lysis of the cellular membrane and consequently cell death. Laser microbubbles did not damage normal cells around the damaged target (tumor) cell. Laser irradiation with equal fluence did not cause any damage of cells without accumulated NP clusters.

Effect of salinity medium on antioxidant and antidiabetic activity marine endophytic fungus of asperegillus elegans ptf 9

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulyani, Hani; Artanti, Nina; Fitria, Irni; Filailla, Euis; Kandace, Yoice Sri; Udin, Linar Zalinar

2017-11-01

Our previous studies on screening of antioxidant activities from various endophytic fungi isolated from marine bioata showed that A. elegans PTF9 isolated from sea weed is one of the fungus that has good antioxidant activity. In current study we reported the effect of medium salinity (0, 3 and 10% salt in PDB medium) on antioxidant and antidiabetes activity of mycelium and filtrate ethyl acetate extracts of A. elegans Ptf 9. The antioxidant assay was conducted using DPPH free radical scavenging activity method. The antidiabetes assay was conducted using a-glucosidase inhibitory activity method. The results showed that the best antioxidant activity was obtained from filtrate extract of fungus cultures with 0% salt (IC50=1.56 ppm), whereas the best antidiabetes activity was obtained from filtrate extract of fungus culture with 10% salt (IC50= 3.64 ppm). Addition of salt reduced the antioxidant activity, but not the antidiabetes activity. The results suggest that A. elegans PTF9 showed potential for further studies on isolation of antioxidant and antidiabetes lead compounds that could be use for further development of new drugs.

Antiosteoclastogenesis activity of a CO2 laser antagonizing receptor activator for nuclear factor kappaB ligand-induced osteoclast differentiation of murine macrophages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuo, Chun-Liang; Kao, Chia-Tze; Fang, Hsin-Yuan; Huang, Tsui-Hsien; Chen, Yi-Wen; Shie, Ming-You

2015-03-01

Macrophage cells are the important effector cells in the immune reaction which are indispensable for osteoclastogenesis; their heterogeneity and plasticity renders macrophages a primer target for immune system modulation. In recent years, there have been very few studies about the effects of macrophage cells on laser treatment-regulated osteoclastogenesis. In this study, RAW 264.7 macrophage cells were treated with RANKL to regulate osteoclastogenesis. We used a CO2 laser as a model biostimulation to investigate the role of osteoclastogenic. We also evaluated cell viability, cell death and cathepsin K expression. The CO2 laser inhibited a receptor activator of the NF-ĸB ligand (RANKL)-induced formation of osteoclasts during the osteoclast differentiation process. It was also found that irradiation for two times reduced RANKL-enhanced TRAP activity in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, CO2 laser-treatment diminished the expression and secretion of cathepsin K elevated by RANKL and was concurrent with the inhibition of TRAF6 induction and NF-ĸB activation. The current report demonstrates that CO2 laser abrogated RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis by retarding osteoclast differentiation. The CO2 laser can modulate every cell through dose-dependent in vitro RANKL-mediated osteoclastogenesis, such as the proliferation and fusion of preosteoclasts and the maturation of osteoclasts. Therefore, the current results serve as an improved explanation of the cellular roles of macrophage cell populations in osteoclastogenesis as well as in alveolar bone remodeling by CO2 laser-treatment.

Femtosecond Fiber Lasers Based on Dissipative Processes for Nonlinear Microscopy.

PubMed

Wise, Frank W

2012-01-01

Recent progress in the development of femtosecond-pulse fiber lasers with parameters appropriate for nonlinear microscopy is reviewed. Pulse-shaping in lasers with only normal-dispersion components is briefly described, and the performance of the resulting lasers is summarized. Fiber lasers based on the formation of dissipative solitons now offer performance competitive with that of solid-state lasers, but with the benefits of the fiber medium. Lasers based on self-similar pulse evolution in the gain section of a laser also offer a combination of short pulse duration and high pulse energy that will be attractive for applications in nonlinear bioimaging.

Femtosecond Fiber Lasers Based on Dissipative Processes for Nonlinear Microscopy

PubMed Central

Wise, Frank W.

2012-01-01

Recent progress in the development of femtosecond-pulse fiber lasers with parameters appropriate for nonlinear microscopy is reviewed. Pulse-shaping in lasers with only normal-dispersion components is briefly described, and the performance of the resulting lasers is summarized. Fiber lasers based on the formation of dissipative solitons now offer performance competitive with that of solid-state lasers, but with the benefits of the fiber medium. Lasers based on self-similar pulse evolution in the gain section of a laser also offer a combination of short pulse duration and high pulse energy that will be attractive for applications in nonlinear bioimaging. PMID:23869163

Terahertz plasmonic lasers with narrow beams and large tunability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Yuan; Wu, Chongzhao; Reno, John L.; Kumar, Sushil

2017-02-01

Plasmonic lasers generate coherent long-range or localized surface-plasmon-polaritons (SPPs), where the SPP mode exists at the interface of the metal (or a metallic nanoparticle) and a dielectric. Metallic-cavities sup- porting SPP modes are also utilized for terahertz quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs). Due to subwavelength apertures, plasmonic lasers have highly divergent radiation patterns. Recently, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrated a new technique for implementing distributed-feedback (DFB), which is termed as an antenna- feedback scheme, to establish a hybrid SPP mode in the surrounding medium of a plasmonic laser's cavity with a large wavefront. This technique allows such lasers to radiate in narrow beams without requirement of any specific design considerations for phase-matching. Experimental demonstration is done for terahertz QCLs that show beam-divergence as small as 4-degrees. The antenna-feedback scheme has a characteristic feature in that refractive-index of the laser's surrounding medium affects its radiative frequency in the same vein as refractive- index of the cavity. Hence, any perturbations in the refractive-index of the surrounding medium could lead to large modulation in the laser's emission frequency. Along this line, we report 57 GHz reversible, continuous, and mode-hop-free tuning of such QCLs operating at 78 K based on post-process deposition/etching of a dielectric on an already mounted QCL chip. This is the largest tuning range achieved for terahertz QCLs when operating much above the temperature of liquid-Helium. We review the aforementioned experimental results and discuss methods to increase optical power output from terahertz QCLs with antenna-feedback. Peak power output of 13 mW is realized for a 3.3 THz QCL operating in a Stirling cooler at 54 K. A new dual-slit photonic structure based on antenna-feedback scheme is proposed to further improve output power as well as provide enhanced tunability.

Nanosecond laser ablation of target Al in a gaseous medium: explosive boiling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazhukin, V. I.; Mazhukin, A. V.; Demin, M. M.; Shapranov, A. V.

2018-03-01

An approximate mathematical description of the processes of homogeneous nucleation and homogeneous evaporation (explosive boiling) of a metal target (Al) under the influence of ns laser radiation is proposed in the framework of the hydrodynamic model. Within the continuum approach, a multi-phase, multi-front hydrodynamic model and a computational algorithm are designed to simulate nanosecond laser ablation of the metal targets immersed in gaseous media. The proposed approach is intended for modeling and detailed analysis of the mechanisms of heterogeneous and homogeneous evaporation and their interaction with each other. It is shown that the proposed model and computational algorithm allow modeling of interrelated mechanisms of heterogeneous and homogeneous evaporation of metals, manifested in the form of pulsating explosive boiling. Modeling has shown that explosive evaporation in metals is due to the presence of a near-surface temperature maximum. It has been established that in nanosecond pulsed laser ablation, such exposure regimes can be implemented in which phase explosion is the main mechanism of material removal.

Efficacy of Sodium Hypochlorite Activated With Laser in Intracanal Smear Layer Removal: An SEM Study

PubMed Central

Shahriari, Shahriar; Kasraei, Shahin; Roshanaei, Ghodratollah; Karkeabadi, Hamed; Davanloo, Hossein

2017-01-01

Introduction: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the different concentrations of sodium hypochlorite activated with laser in removing of the smear layer in the apical, middle, and coronal segments of root canal walls by scanning electron microscopy analysis. Methods: Sixty single-rooted human mandibular teeth were decoronated to a standardized length. The samples were prepared by using Race rotary system to size 40, 0.04 taper and divided into 4 equal groups (n = 15). Group 1, irrigated with EDTA 17% and 5.25% NaOCl, groups 2, 3 and 4, 1%, 2.5%, and 5% NaOCl activated with Nd:YAG laser, respectively. Teeth were split longitudinally and subjected to scanning electron microscope (SEM). Data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney tests. P value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Five percent NaOCl LAI (laser-activated irrigation) showed best smear layer removal in test groups and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Control group (EDTA 17% and 5.25% NaOCl irrigation) showed significantly better outcomes in comparative with test groups (P < 0.001). In the apical third, compared to coronal and middle third, the canal walls were often contaminated by inorganic debris and smear layer. Conclusion: All different concentrations of sodium hypochlorite activated with laser have a positive effect on removing of smear layer. Sodium hypochlorite activated with laser removed smear layer more effectively at the coronal and middle third compared to the apical third. PMID:28912942

Application of partially coherent modes for studying generation of a Gaussian partially coherent laser beam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Suvorov, A A

2010-10-15

The problem of steady-state generation of a Gaussian partially coherent beam in a stable-cavity laser is considered within the framework of the method of expansion of the radiation coherence function in partially coherent modes. We discuss the conditions whose fulfilment makes it possible to neglect the intermode beatings of the radiation field and the effect of the gain dispersion on the steady-state generation of multimode partially coherent radiation. Based on the simplified model, we solve the self-consistent problem of generation of a Gaussian partially coherent beam for the given laser pump conditions and the resonator parameters. The dependence of themore » beam characteristics (power, radius, etc.) on the active medium properties and the resonator parameters is obtained. (laser beams)« less

High efficiency 2 micrometer laser utilizing wing-pumped Tm.sup.3+ and a laser diode array end-pumping architecture

DOEpatents

Beach, Raymond J.

1997-01-01

Wing pumping a Tm.sup.3+ doped, end pumped solid state laser generates 2 .mu.m laser radiation at high average powers with high efficiency. Using laser diode arrays to end-pump the laser rod or slab in the wing of the Tm.sup.3+ absorption band near 785 nm results in 2-for-1 quantum efficiency in Tm.sup.3+ because high Tm.sup.3+ concentrations can be used. Wing pumping allows the thermal power generated in the rod or slab to be distributed over a large enough volume to make thermal management practical in the laser gain medium even at high average power operation. The approach is applicable to CW, Q-switched, and rep-pulsed free-laser operation.

High efficiency 2 micrometer laser utilizing wing-pumped Tm{sup 3+} and a laser diode array end-pumping architecture

DOEpatents

Beach, R.J.

1997-11-18

Wing pumping a Tm{sup 3+} doped, end pumped solid state laser generates 2 {micro}m laser radiation at high average powers with high efficiency. Using laser diode arrays to end-pump the laser rod or slab in the wing of the Tm{sup 3+} absorption band near 785 nm results in 2-for-1 quantum efficiency in Tm{sup 3+} because high Tm{sup 3+} concentrations can be used. Wing pumping allows the thermal power generated in the rod or slab to be distributed over a large enough volume to make thermal management practical in the laser gain medium even at high average power operation. The approach is applicable to CW, Q-switched, and rep-pulsed free-laser operation. 7 figs.

Manipulating the wavelength-drift of a Tm laser for resonance enhancement in an intra-cavity pumped Ho laser.

PubMed

Huang, Haizhou; Huang, Jianhong; Liu, Huagang; Li, Jinhui; Lin, Zixiong; Ge, Yan; Dai, Shutao; Deng, Jing; Lin, Wenxiong

2018-03-05

We demonstrate an enhancement mechanism and thermal model for intra-cavity pumped lasers, where resonance enhancement in intra-cavity pumped Ho laser was achieved by manipulating the wavelength-drift nature of the Tm laser for the first time. Optical conversion efficiency of 37.5% from an absorbed 785 nm diode laser to a Ho laser was obtained with a maximum output power of 7.51 W at 2122 nm, which is comparable to the conversion efficiency in 1.9 μm LD pumped Ho lasers. Meanwhile, more severe thermal effects in the Ho-doped gain medium than the Tm-doped one at high power operation were verified based on the built thermal model. This work benefits the design or evaluation of intra-cavity pumped lasers, and the resonance enhancement originated from the difference in reabsorption loss between stark levels at the lasing manifolds of quasi-three-level rare-earth ions has great interest to improve the existing intra-cavity pumped lasers or explore novel lasers.

Biostimulation effects of low-energy laser radiation on yeast cell suspensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anghel, Sorin; Stanescu, Constantin S.; Giosanu, Dana; Neagu, Ionica; Savulescu, Geta; Iorga-Siman, Ion

2000-02-01

This paper presents work to determine the effects produced by low energy laser radiation on the metabolism and growth of a yeast cell suspension. As experimental material, we used young yeast culture in liquid medium, then distributed on a solid medium, to obtain isolated colonies. As laser source, we used a He-Ne laser, and the irradiation was made with different exposure times. Form each irradiated material, a sample of white grape sterile must was sowed, that has fermented at 18 divided by 20 degrees C for 10 divided by 15 days, after that some properties was tested. Some microscopic studies were also made. The results prove some influence of low energy laser irradiation, which can induce mutations, with new properties of the irradiated material. These mutations can be obtained in a positive sense, with new and important perspectives in wine industry. Also, we observed an inhibitory effect of the laser radiation on the yeast cell growth, due, probably to the too high values of the exposure.

High-efficient Nd:YAG microchip laser for optical surface scanning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Šulc, Jan; Jelínková, Helena; Nejezchleb, Karel; Škoda, Václav

2017-12-01

A CW operating, compact, high-power, high-efficient diode pumped 1064nm laser, based on Nd:YAG active medium, was developed for optical surface scanning and mapping applications. To enhance the output beam quality, laser stability, and compactness, a microchip configuration was used. In this arrangement the resonator mirrors were deposited directly on to the laser crystal faces. The Nd-doping concentration was 1 at.% Nd/Y. The Nd:YAG crystal was 5mm long. The laser resonator without pumping radiation recuperation was investigated {the output coupler was transparent for pumping radiation. For the generated laser radiation the output coupler reflectivity was 95%@1064 nm. The diameter of the samples was 5 mm. For the laser pumping two arrangements were investigated. Firstly, a fibre coupled laser diode operating at wavelength 808nm was used in CW mode. The 400 ¹m fiber was delivering up to 14W of pump power amplitude to the microchip laser. The maximum CW output power of 7.2W @ 1064nm in close to TEM00 beam was obtained for incident pumping power 13.7W @ 808 nm. The differential efficiency in respect to the incident pump power reached 56 %. Secondly, a single-emitter, 1W laser diode operating at 808nm was used for Nd:YAG microchip pumping. The laser pumping was directly coupled into the microchip laser using free-space lens optics. Slope efficiency up to 70% was obtained in stable, high-quality, 1064nm laser beam with CW power up to 350mW. The system was successfully used for scanning of super-Gaussian laser mirrors reflectivity profile.

A history of semi-active laser dome and window materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sullivan, Roger M.

2014-05-01

Semi-Active Laser (SAL) guidance systems were developed starting in the mid-1960's and today form an important class of precision guided weapons. The laser wavelengths generally fall in the short wave infrared region of the spectrum. Relative to passive, image based, infrared seekers the optical demands placed on the domes or windows of SAL seekers is very modest, allowing the use of low cost, easily manufactured materials, such as polycarbonate. This paper will examine the transition of SAL window and dome science and technology from the laboratory to battlefield, with special emphasis on the story of polycarbonate domes.

The evolution of lasers in urology

PubMed Central

Zarrabi, Amir; Gross, Andreas J.

2011-01-01

The world’s first laser was developed by Theodore Maiman in 1960. Over the course of the past five decades, this technology has evolved into a highly specialized entity, also finding a niche market in the field of urology. Lasers obtained from various lasing mediums producing amplified light of different wavelengths have been tested for urological applications. Today, these lasers are most commonly used in the surgical management of benign prostatic hyperplasia and as intracorporeal lithotripters. Other uses include ablation of various urologic tumors and incising strictures of the upper- and lower urinary tract. A continuous process of evolution of this technology is taking place, resulting in surgical lasers becoming ever safer, more effective, and more affordable. PMID:21869908

Paintable band-edge liquid crystal lasers.

PubMed

Gardiner, Damian J; Morris, Stephen M; Hands, Philip J W; Mowatt, Carrie; Rutledge, Rupert; Wilkinson, Timothy D; Coles, Harry J

2011-01-31

In this paper we demonstrate photonic band-edge laser emission from emulsion-based polymer dispersed liquid crystals. The lasing medium consists of dye-doped chiral nematic droplets dispersed within a polymer matrix that spontaneously align as the film dries. Such lasers can be easily formed on single substrates with no alignment layers. The system combines the self-organizing periodic structure of chiral nematic liquid crystals with the simplicity of the emulsion procedure so as to produce a material that retains the emission characteristics of band-edge lasers yet can be readily coated. Sequential and stacked layers demonstrate the possibility of achieving simultaneous multi-wavelength laser output from glass, metallic, and flexible substrates.

Absorption and emission of single attosecond light pulses in an autoionizing gaseous medium dressed by a time-delayed control field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Wei-Chun; Lin, C. D.

2013-01-01

An extreme ultraviolet (EUV) single attosecond pulse passing through a laser-dressed dense gas is studied theoretically. The weak EUV pulse pumps the helium gas from the ground state to the 2s2p(1P) autoionizing state, which is coupled to the 2s2(1S) autoionizing state by a femtosecond infrared laser with the intensity in the order of 1012 W/cm2. The simulation shows how the transient absorption and emission of the EUV are modified by the coupling laser. A simple analytical expression for the atomic response derived for δ-function pulses reveals the strong modification of the Fano lineshape in the spectra, where these features are quite universal and remain valid for realistic pulse conditions. We further account for the propagation of pulses in the medium and show that the EUV signal at the atomic resonance can be enhanced in the gaseous medium by more than 50% for specifically adjusted laser parameters, and that this enhancement persists as the EUV propagates in the gaseous medium. Our result demonstrates the high-level control of nonlinear optical effects that are achievable with attosecond pulses.

High-power terahertz lasers with excellent beam quality for local oscillator sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Benjamin

Many molecular species that compose the interstellar medium have strong spectral features in the 2-5 THz range, and heterodyne spectroscopy is required to obtain ~km/s velocity resolution to resolve their complicated lineshapes and disentangle them from the background. Understanding the kinetics and energetics within the gas clouds of the interstellar medium is critical to understanding star formation processes and validating theories of galactic evolution. Herschel Observatory's heterodyne HIFI instrument provided several years of high-spectral-resolution measurements of the interstellar medium, although only up to 1.9 THz. The next frontier for heterodyne spectroscopy is the 2-6 THz region. However, development of heterodyne receivers above 2 THz has been severely hindered by a lack of convenient coherent sources of sufficient power to serve as local oscillators (LOs). The recently developed quantum-cascade (QC) lasers are emerging as candidates for LOs in the 1.5-5 THz range. The current generation of single-mode THz QC-lasers can provide a few milliwatts of power in a directive beam, and will be sufficient to pump single pixels and small-format heterodyne arrays (~10 elements). This proposal looks beyond the state-of-the-art, to the development of large format heterodyne arrays which contain on the order of 100-1000 elements. LO powers on the order of 10-100 mW delivered in a high-quality Gaussian beam will be needed to pump the mixer array - not only because of the microwatt mixer power requirement, but to account for large anticipated losses in LO coupling and distribution. Large format heterodyne array instruments are attractive for a dramatic speedup of mapping of the interstellar medium, particularly on airborne platforms such as the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), and on long duration balloon platforms such as the Stratospheric Terahertz Observatory (STO), where observation time is limited. The research goal of this proposal is

Comparison of Alexandrite and Diode Lasers for Hair Removal in Dark and Medium Skin: Which is Better?

PubMed Central

Mustafa, Farhad Hamad; Jaafar, Mohamad Suhimi; Ismail, Asaad Hamid; Mutter, Kussay Nugamesh

2014-01-01

Introduction: To improve laser hair removal (LHR) for dark skin, the fluence rate reaching the hair follicle in LHR is important. This paper presents the results of a comparative study examining the function of wavelength on dark skin types using 755 nm alexandrite and 810 nm diode lasers. Methods: The structure of the skin was created using a realistic skin model by the Advanced Systems Analysis Program. Result: In this study, the alexandrite laser (755 nm) and diode laser (810 nm) beam–skin tissue interactions were simulated. The simulation results for both lasers differed. The transmission ratio of the diode laser to the dark skin dermis was approximately 4% more than that of the alexandrite laser for the same skin type. For the diode laser at skin depth z = 0.67 mm, the average transmission ratios of both samples were 36% and 27.5%, but those for the alexandrite laser at the same skin depth were 32% and 25%. Conclusion: Both lasers were suitable in LHR for dark skin types, but the diode laser was better than the alexandrite laser because the former could penetrate deeper into the dermis layer. PMID:25653820

Comparison of Alexandrite and Diode Lasers for Hair Removal in Dark and Medium Skin: Which is Better?

PubMed

Mustafa, Farhad Hamad; Jaafar, Mohamad Suhimi; Ismail, Asaad Hamid; Mutter, Kussay Nugamesh

2014-01-01

To improve laser hair removal (LHR) for dark skin, the fluence rate reaching the hair follicle in LHR is important. This paper presents the results of a comparative study examining the function of wavelength on dark skin types using 755 nm alexandrite and 810 nm diode lasers. The structure of the skin was created using a realistic skin model by the Advanced Systems Analysis Program. In this study, the alexandrite laser (755 nm) and diode laser (810 nm) beam-skin tissue interactions were simulated. The simulation results for both lasers differed. The transmission ratio of the diode laser to the dark skin dermis was approximately 4% more than that of the alexandrite laser for the same skin type. For the diode laser at skin depth z = 0.67 mm, the average transmission ratios of both samples were 36% and 27.5%, but those for the alexandrite laser at the same skin depth were 32% and 25%. Both lasers were suitable in LHR for dark skin types, but the diode laser was better than the alexandrite laser because the former could penetrate deeper into the dermis layer.

ZnO synthesized in air by fs laser irradiation on metallic Zn thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esqueda-Barrón, Y.; Herrera, M.; Camacho-López, S.

2018-05-01

We present results on rapid femtosecond laser synthesis of nanostructured ZnO. We used metallic Zn thin films to laser scan along straight tracks, until forming nanostructured ZnO. The synthesis dependence on laser irradiation parameters such as the per pulse fluence, integrated fluence, laser scan speed, and number of scans were explored carefully. SEM characterization showed that the morphology of the obtained ZnO is dictated by the integrated fluence and the laser scan speed; micro Raman and XRD results allowed to identify optimal laser processing conditions for getting good quality ZnO; and cathodoluminescence measurements demonstrated that a single laser scan at high per pulse laser fluence, but a medium integrated laser fluence and a medium laser scan speed favors a low density of point-defects in the lattice. Electrical measurements showed a correlation between resistivity of the laser produced ZnO and point-defects created during the synthesis. Transmittance measurements showed that, the synthesized ZnO can reach down to the supporting fused silica substrate under the right laser irradiation conditions. The physical mechanism for the formation of ZnO, under ultrashort pulse laser irradiation, is discussed in view of the distinct times scales given by the laser pulse duration and the laser pulse repetition rate.

Laser-mediated perforation of plant cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wehner, Martin; Jacobs, Philipp; Esser, Dominik; Schinkel, Helga; Schillberg, Stefan

2007-07-01

The functional analysis of plant cells at the cellular and subcellular levels requires novel technologies for the directed manipulation of individual cells. Lasers are increasingly exploited for the manipulation of plant cells, enabling the study of biological processes on a subcellular scale including transformation to generate genetically modified plants. In our setup either a picosecond laser operating at 1064 nm wavelength or a continuous wave laser diode emitting at 405 nm are coupled into an inverse microscope. The beams are focused to a spot size of about 1.5 μm and the tobacco cell protoplasts are irradiated. Optoporation is achieved when targeting the laser focal spot at the outermost edge of the plasma membrane. In case of the picosecond laser a single pulse with energy of about 0.4 μJ was sufficient to perforate the plasma membrane enabling the uptake of dye or DNA from the surrounding medium into the cytosol. When the ultraviolet laser diode at a power level of 17 mW is employed an irradiation time of 200 - 500 milliseconds is necessary to enable the uptake of macromolecules. In the presence of an EYFP encoding plasmid with a C-terminal peroxisomal signal sequence in the surrounding medium transient transformation of tobacco protoplasts could be achieved in up to 2% of the optoporated cells. Single cell perforation using this novel optoporation method shows that isolated plant cells can be permeabilized without direct manipulation. This is a valuable procedure for cell-specific applications, particularly where the import of specific molecules into plant cells is required for functional analysis.

LASERS, ACTIVE MEDIA: The aqueous-polyelectrolyte dye solution as an active laser medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akimov, A. I.; Saletskii, A. M.

2000-11-01

The spectral, luminescent, and lasing properties of aqueous solutions of a cationic dye rhodamine 6G with additions of anion polyelectrolytes — polyacrylic and polymethacrylic acids — are studied. It is found that the energy and spectral properties of lasing of these solutions depend on the ratio of concentrations of polyelectrolyte and molecules. It is also found that the lasing parameters of aqueous-polyelectrolyte dye solutions can be controlled by changing the structure of the molecular system. The variation in the structure of aqueous-polyelectrolyte dye solutions of rhodamine 6G resulted in an almost five-fold increase in the lasing efficiency compared to that in aqueous dye solutions.

Penetration of 35% hydrogen peroxide into the pulp chamber in bovine teeth after LED or Nd:YAG laser activation.

PubMed

Camargo, Samira Esteves Afonso; Cardoso, Paula Elaine; Valera, Marcia Carneiro; de Araújo, Maria Amélia Máximo; Kojima, Alberto Noriyuki

2009-01-01

This aim of the present study was to evaluate the pulp chamber penetration of 35% hydrogen peroxide activated by LED (light-emitting diode) or Nd:YAG laser in bovine teeth, after an in-office bleaching technique. Forty-eight bovine lateral incisors were divided into four groups, acetate buffer was placed into the pulp chamber and bleaching agent was applied as follows: for group A (n = 12), activation was performed by LED; for group B (n = 12), activation was performed by Nd:YAG laser (60 mJ, 20 Hz); group C (n = 12) received no light or laser activation; and the control group (n = 12) received no bleaching gel application or light or laser activation. The acetate buffer solution was transferred to a glass tube and Leuco Crystal Violet and horseradish peroxidase were added, producing a blue solution. The optical density of this solution was determined spectrophotometrically and converted into microgram equivalents of hydrogen peroxide. The results were analysed using ANOVA and Tukey's test (5%). It was verified that the effect of activation was significant, as groups activated by LED or laser presented greater hydrogen peroxide penetration into the pulp chamber (0.499 +/- 0.622 microg) compared with groups that were not (0.198 +/- 0.218 microg). There was no statistically significant difference in the penetration of hydrogen peroxide into the pulp chamber between the two types of activation (LED or laser). The results suggest that activation by laser or LED caused an increase in hydrogen peroxide penetration into the pulp chamber.

[Active forms of oxygen and nitrogen in blood cells of patients with rheumatoid arthritis: effect of laser therapy].

PubMed

Ostrakhovich, E A; Ilich-Stoianovich, O; Afanas'ev, I B

2001-01-01

Infrared pulse laser therapy was studied for its impact on the production of active forms of oxygen and nitrogen by neutrophils from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The authors determined the non-activated and PMA-activated production of superoxide anion-radical, peroxynitrite, peripheral neurophilic NAD.PH-oxidase and superoxide dismutase activities, and the red blood cell concentrations of reduced glutathione. Before therapy, non-activation RA neurophilic production of superoxide was much higher than in donors. Laser therapy made this parameter normal. Similarly, neutrophilic peroxynitrite production (defined by dihydrorhodamine oxidation) in RA patients was 1.7 times higher than the normal values. IF-laser therapy decreased peroxynitrite production to the values observed in donors. It is important that the therapy caused increased SOD activity (that was lower in RA patients prior to therapy) up to apparently control values. Thus, IF-laser therapy has a certain antioxidative effect by increasing SOD activity in RA patients' blood cells and reducing the production of highly reactive oxygen and nitrogen forms.

Similarity criteria in calculations of the energy characteristics of a cw oxygen - iodine laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mezhenin, A. V.; Azyazov, V. N.

2012-12-01

The calculated and experimental data on the energy efficiency of a cw oxygen - iodine laser (OIL) are analysed based on two similarity criteria, namely, on the ratio of the residence time of the gas mixture in the resonator to the characteristic time of extraction of the energy stored in singlet oxygen td and on the gain-to-loss ratio Π. It is shown that the simplified two-level laser model satisfactorily predicts the output characteristics of OILs with a stable resonator at τd <= 7. Efficient energy extraction from the OIL active medium is achieved in the case of τd = 5 - 7, Π = 4 - 8.

Single transverse mode protein laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dogru, Itir Bakis; Min, Kyungtaek; Umar, Muhammad; Bahmani Jalali, Houman; Begar, Efe; Conkar, Deniz; Firat Karalar, Elif Nur; Kim, Sunghwan; Nizamoglu, Sedat

2017-12-01

Here, we report a single transverse mode distributed feedback (DFB) protein laser. The gain medium that is composed of enhanced green fluorescent protein in a silk fibroin matrix yields a waveguiding gain layer on a DFB resonator. The thin TiO2 layer on the quartz grating improves optical feedback due to the increased effective refractive index. The protein laser shows a single transverse mode lasing at the wavelength of 520 nm with the threshold level of 92.1 μJ/ mm2.

Recent advance to 3 × 10(-5) rad near diffraction-limited beam divergence of dye laser with transverse-discharge flash-lamp pumping.

PubMed

Trusov, K K

1994-02-20

A new experimental setup of a Rhodamine 6G dye laser with a transverse-discharge flash-lamp-pumping system is presented. It differs from a previous setup [Sov. J. Quantum Electron. 16, 468-471 (1989)] in that it has a larger laser beam aperture (32 mm) and higher pumping energy (1 kJ), which made it possible to test the scalability and reach near diffraction-limited laser beam divergence of 3 × 10(-5) rad FWHM at beam energy 1.4 J. The effect of spectral dispersion in the active medium and of other optical elements on the beam divergence is also discussed.

High peak-power kilohertz laser system employing single-stage multi-pass amplification

DOEpatents

Shan, Bing; Wang, Chun; Chang, Zenghu

2006-05-23

The present invention describes a technique for achieving high peak power output in a laser employing single-stage, multi-pass amplification. High gain is achieved by employing a very small "seed" beam diameter in gain medium, and maintaining the small beam diameter for multiple high-gain pre-amplification passes through a pumped gain medium, then leading the beam out of the amplifier cavity, changing the beam diameter and sending it back to the amplifier cavity for additional, high-power amplification passes through the gain medium. In these power amplification passes, the beam diameter in gain medium is increased and carefully matched to the pump laser's beam diameter for high efficiency extraction of energy from the pumped gain medium. A method of "grooming" the beam by means of a far-field spatial filter in the process of changing the beam size within the single-stage amplifier is also described.

Laser-plasma interactions in magnetized environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Yuan; Qin, Hong; Fisch, Nathaniel J.

2018-05-01

Propagation and scattering of lasers present new phenomena and applications when the plasma medium becomes strongly magnetized. With mega-Gauss magnetic fields, scattering of optical lasers already becomes manifestly anisotropic. Special angles exist where coherent laser scattering is either enhanced or suppressed, as we demonstrate using a cold-fluid model. Consequently, by aiming laser beams at special angles, one may be able to optimize laser-plasma coupling in magnetized implosion experiments. In addition, magnetized scattering can be exploited to improve the performance of plasma-based laser pulse amplifiers. Using the magnetic field as an extra control variable, it is possible to produce optical pulses of higher intensity, as well as compress UV and soft x-ray pulses beyond the reach of other methods. In even stronger giga-Gauss magnetic fields, laser-plasma interaction enters a relativistic-quantum regime. Using quantum electrodynamics, we compute a modified wave dispersion relation, which enables correct interpretation of Faraday rotation measurements of strong magnetic fields.

A method of measuring micro-impulse with torsion pendulum based on multi-beam laser heterodyne

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yan-Chao; Wang, Chun-Hui

2012-02-01

In this paper, we propose a novel method of multi-beam laser heterodyne measurement for micro-impulse. The measurement of the micro-impulse, which is converted into the measurement of the small tuning angle of the torsion pendulum, is realized by considering the interaction between pulse laser and working medium. Based on Doppler effect and heterodyne technology, the information regarding the small tuning angle is loaded to the frequency difference of the multi-beam laser heterodyne signal by the frequency modulation of the oscillating mirror, thereby obtaining many values of the small tuning angle after the multi-beam laser heterodyne signal demodulation simultaneously. Processing these values by weighted-average, the small tuning angle can be obtained accurately and the value of the micro-impulse can eventually be calculated. Using Polyvinylchlorid+2%C as a working medium, this novel method is used to simulate the value of the micro-impulse by MATLAB which is generated by considering the interaction between the pulse laser and the working medium, the obtained result shows that the relative error of this method is just 0.5%.

Photonic crystal lasers using wavelength-scale embedded active region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuo, Shinji; Sato, Tomonari; Takeda, Koji; Shinya, Akihiko; Nozaki, Kengo; Kuramochi, Eiichi; Taniyama, Hideaki; Notomi, Masaya; Fujii, Takuro; Hasebe, Koichi; Kakitsuka, Takaaki

2014-01-01

Lasers with ultra-low operating energy are desired for use in chip-to-chip and on-chip optical interconnects. If we are to reduce the operating energy, we must reduce the active volume. Therefore, a photonic crystal (PhC) laser with a wavelength-scale cavity has attracted a lot of attention because a PhC provides a large Q-factor with a small volume. To improve this device's performance, we employ an embedded active region structure in which the wavelength-scale active region is buried with an InP PhC slab. This structure enables us to achieve effective confinement of both carriers and photons, and to improve the thermal resistance of the device. Thus, we have obtained a large external differential quantum efficiency of 55% and an output power of -10 dBm by optical pumping. For electrical pumping, we use a lateral p-i-n structure that employs Zn diffusion and Si ion implantation for p-type and n-type doping, respectively. We have achieved room-temperature continuous-wave operation with a threshold current of 7.8 µA and a maximum 3 dB bandwidth of 16.2 GHz. The results of an experimental bit error rate measurement with a 10 Gbit s-1 NRZ signal reveal the minimum operating energy for transferring a single bit of 5.5 fJ. These results show the potential of this laser to be used for very short reach interconnects. We also describe the optimal design of cavity quality (Q) factor in terms of achieving a large output power with a low operating energy using a calculation based on rate equations. When we assume an internal absorption loss of 20 cm-1, the optimized coupling Q-factor is 2000.

A laser-induced repetitive fast neutron source applied for gold activation analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Sungman; Park, Sangsoon; Lee, Kitae; Cha, Hyungki

2012-12-01

A laser-induced repetitively operated fast neutron source was developed for applications in laser-driven nuclear physics research. The developed neutron source, which has a neutron yield of approximately 4 × 105 n/pulse and can be operated up to a pulse repetition rate of 10 Hz, was applied for a gold activation analysis. Relatively strong delayed gamma spectra of the activated gold were measured at 333 keV and 355 keV, and proved the possibility of the neutron source for activation analyses. In addition, the nuclear reactions responsible for the measured gamma spectra of gold were elucidated by the 14 MeV fast neutrons resulting from the D(t,n)He4 nuclear reaction, for which the required tritium originated from the primary fusion reaction, D(d,p)T3.

A laser-induced repetitive fast neutron source applied for gold activation analysis.

PubMed

Lee, Sungman; Park, Sangsoon; Lee, Kitae; Cha, Hyungki

2012-12-01

A laser-induced repetitively operated fast neutron source was developed for applications in laser-driven nuclear physics research. The developed neutron source, which has a neutron yield of approximately 4 × 10(5) n/pulse and can be operated up to a pulse repetition rate of 10 Hz, was applied for a gold activation analysis. Relatively strong delayed gamma spectra of the activated gold were measured at 333 keV and 355 keV, and proved the possibility of the neutron source for activation analyses. In addition, the nuclear reactions responsible for the measured gamma spectra of gold were elucidated by the 14 MeV fast neutrons resulting from the D(t,n)He(4) nuclear reaction, for which the required tritium originated from the primary fusion reaction, D(d,p)T(3).

Density gradient free electron collisionally excited x-ray laser

DOEpatents

Campbell, E.M.; Rosen, M.D.

1984-11-29

An operational x-ray laser is provided that amplifies 3p-3s transition x-ray radiation along an approximately linear path. The x-ray laser is driven by a high power optical laser. The driving line focused optical laser beam illuminates a free-standing thin foil that may be associated with a substrate for improved structural integrity. This illumination produces a generally cylindrically shaped plasma having an essentially uniform electron density and temperature, that exists over a long period of time, and provides the x-ray laser gain medium. The x-ray laser may be driven by more than one optical laser beam. The x-ray laser has been successfully demonstrated to function in a series of experimental tests.

Effects of trajectory exercise using a laser pointer on electromyographic activities of the gluteus maximus and erector spinae during bridging exercises.

PubMed

Kim, Yu-Ri; Yoo, Won-Gyu

2016-01-01

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate activities of the hip extensors and erector spinae during bridging exercise by using instruments with a laser pointer on the pelvic belt. [Subjects] Twelve subjects (age, 23 to 33 years) with non-specific low back pain volunteered for this study. [Methods] Subjects performed bridging exercises with and without trajectory exercises by using a laser pointer fixed to a pelvic strap. The erector spinae, gluteus maximus and hamstring activities with and without trajectory exercises using a laser pointer were recorded on using electromyography. [Results] Compared to the without laser pointer group, the group that underwent bridging with trajectory exercises using a laser pointer had significantly higher gluteus maximus activity and significantly lower erector spinae activity. Significantly higher gluteus maximus/erector spinae activity ratios were observed when performing trajectory exercises using a laser pointer during bridging exercises. [Conclusion] This result suggests that trajectory exercises using a laser pointer during a bridging exercise would be effective for improving gluteus maximus activity.

Active iris vascular tufts bleeding successfully treated with argon laser photocoagulation.

PubMed

Sarmad, Ambreen; Alfaqawi, Fadi; Chakrabarti, Monali; Mitra, Arijit; Mushtaq, Bushra

2018-03-01

Iris vascular tufts (IVT) are rare biomicroscopic capillary outgrowths from the pupillary margins. Patients are usually asymptomatic until presenting with blurred vision due to spontaneous hyphema or with raised intraocular pressure. A 61-year-old woman presented to eye casualty with left eye (LE) blurred vision and discomfort for 1 day. Her external ocular examination was unremarkable and visual acuity was 6/6 in the right eye (RE) and 6/9 in the LE. Biomicroscopic examination revealed a 2-mm hyphema in her LE and bilateral multiple small IVT and active bleeding from IVT at the pupillary margin of the LE at the 5 o'clock position. Diagnosis of LE active bleeding from IVT was made and she underwent argon laser photocoagulation directed at the source of bleeding. The bleeding stopped immediately after the second burn. She was followed up for 3 months; her visual acuity was 6/5 and 6/6 in the RE and LE, respectively, with no further problems. Iris vascular tufts are benign and recurrent hemorrhages are unlikely. Therefore, definitive argon laser photocoagulation or surgical treatment are reserved to arrest further episodes of hyphema. Our case demonstrates the effective use of argon laser photocoagulation to completely arrest active bleeding from IVT and excellent recovery of hyphema with no further problems for 5 years.

Laser addressed holographic memory system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gange, R. A.; Wagle, E. M.; Steinmetz, C. C.

1973-01-01

Holographic recall and storage system uses red-lipid microcrystalline wax as storage medium. When laser beam strikes wax, its energy heats point of incidence enough to pass wax through transition temperature. Holograph image can then be written or erased in softened wax.

Laser Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gauger, Robert

1993-01-01

Describes lasers and indicates that learning about laser technology and creating laser technology activities are among the teacher enhancement processes needed to strengthen technology education. (JOW)

Modification of graphene oxide by laser irradiation: a new route to enhance antibacterial activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buccheri, Maria A.; D'Angelo, Daniele; Scalese, Silvia; Spanò, Simon F.; Filice, Simona; Fazio, Enza; Compagnini, Giuseppe; Zimbone, Massimo; Brundo, Maria V.; Pecoraro, Roberta; Alba, Anna; Sinatra, Fulvia; Rappazzo, Giancarlo; Privitera, Vittorio

2016-06-01

The antibacterial activity and possible toxicity of graphene oxide and laser-irradiated graphene oxide (iGO) were investigated. Antibacterial activity was tested on Escherichia coli and shown to be higher for GO irradiated for at least three hours, which seems to be correlated to the resulting morphology of laser-treated GO and independent of the kind and amount of oxygen functionalities. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) show a reduction of the GO flakes size after visible laser irradiation, preserving considerable oxygen content and degree of hydrophilicity. SEM images of the bacteria after the exposure to the iGO flakes confirm membrane damage after interaction with the laser-modified morphology of GO. In addition, a fish embryo toxicity test on zebrafish displayed that neither mortality nor sublethal effects were caused by the different iGO solutions, even when the concentration was increased up to four times higher than the one effective in reducing the bacteria survival. The antibacterial properties and the absence of toxicity make the visible laser irradiation of GO a promising option for water purification applications.

Electrically pumped graphene-based Landau-level laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brem, Samuel; Wendler, Florian; Winnerl, Stephan; Malic, Ermin

2018-03-01

Graphene exhibits a nonequidistant Landau quantization with tunable Landau-level (LL) transitions in the technologically desired terahertz spectral range. Here, we present a strategy for an electrically driven terahertz laser based on Landau-quantized graphene as the gain medium. Performing microscopic modeling of the coupled electron, phonon, and photon dynamics in such a laser, we reveal that an inter-LL population inversion can be achieved resulting in the emission of coherent terahertz radiation. The presented paper provides a concrete recipe for the experimental realization of tunable graphene-based terahertz laser systems.

Modulation doping of quantum dot laser active area and its impact on lasing performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konoplev, S. S.; Savelyev, A. V.; Korenev, V. V.; Maximov, M. V.; Zhukov, A. E.

2015-11-01

We present a theoretical study of modulation doping of active region in the quantum dot (QD) laser and corresponding issues of QD charge neutrality violation, a band diagram of the laser and charge carriers distribution in the structure. Modulation doping is discussed as a possible technique to control laser output characteristics. It was shown that modulation doping leads to an increase of threshold current of lasing through excited QD optical transition together with power emission from QD ground state.

Area laser crystallized LTPS TFTs with implanted contacts for active matrix OLED displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)