OPTICAL RADIATION FREQUENCY CONVERTER EMPLOYING PHASE MATCHED MIXTURES OF INERT GASES AND METHOD

• US 3,801,797 A
• Filed: 01/29/1973
• Issued: 04/02/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Andrew H. Kung, Stephen E. Harris
• Original Assignee: Andrew H. Kung, Stephen E. Harris
• Inventors: Harris, Stephen E., Kung, Andrew H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saalbach, Herman Karl
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hostetter, Darwin R.
• Application Number:
  US05/327,318
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 321/69 307/88.3 250/199 325/445
• US Class Current: 359/329
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3534 Three-wave interaction, e.g. sum-difference frequency generation G02F1/3532 takes precedence

Abstract

An optical radiation frequency converter including a cell containing a phase matched mixture of inert gas atoms, one of which is negatively dispersive and one of which is positively dispersive, and a source of monochromatic radiation of one frequency to be converted to another frequency positioned to project the monochromatic radiation through the cell whereby the phase matched mixture of inert gas atoms converts the radiation from the one frequency to the other frequency.

Claims

1. A radiation converter for converting radiation at one frequency to another frequency comprising a gas cell, a positively dispersive inert gas in said cell, a negatively dispersive inert gas in said cell to form a mixture of inert gases, and a source of monochromatic energy to be converted from one frequency to said another frequency positioned to project radiation through said cell.

2. A radiation converter as in claim 1 wherein said another frequency is the third harmonic of said one frequency.

3. A radiation converter as in claim 1 wherein said gases are selected from helium, neon, argon, xenon and krypton.

4. A radiation converter as in claim 1 wherein said negatively dispersive inert gas is xenon and said positively dispersive inert gas is argon and said another frequency is above the resonance frequency of said negatively dispersive inert gas.

5. A radiation converter as in claim 1 wherein the ratio of the negatively dispersive inert gas atoms to positively dispersive inert gas atoms is such that the velocity of radiation at the one frequency equals that at the another frequency.

6. The method of convErting radiation at one frequency of radiation at a third harmonic frequency which comprises the steps of selecting a negatively dispersive inert gas which has atomic resonances below said third harmonic frequency, mixing said inert gas with a positively dispersive inert gas, and selecting the ratio of said negatively and positively dispersive inert gases such that the velocity of radiation through the medium at the one frequency equals that at the third harmonic frequency.