Wire electrode TEA laser
First Claim
1. In a transversely excited atmospheric gas laser excited for pulsed discharging by a high voltage pulse forming network, and having a housing adapted to envelope a laser medium and to support a coaxial electrode structure and a pair of optical cavity mirror elements, the improvement comprising:
- an outer anode electrode consisting of a metallic tubular member of a predetermined inner diameter; and
an inner cathode electrode consisting of a length of electrical conductor having an outer diameter which is extremely small relative to the inner diameter of said outer electrode coaxially aligned within said outer electrode and wherein the ratio of the outer to inner electrode diameters is selectively large to produce a radial gain profile which is substantially localized in the vicinity of the inner electrode;
so that the inner cathode electrode is highly stressed when a negative polarity voltage from the high voltage pulse forming network is applied thereto, and the inner cathode electrode also functions as a preionizing electrode so that a uniform discharge is obtained without arcing.
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Abstract
A means for producing uniform discharges in carbon dioxide (CO2) transversely excited atmospheric (TEA) lasers by the utilization of a fine wire as the central (cathode) electrode coaxially disposed in a cylindrical outer (anode) electrode having a diameter selectively chosen to provide a large ratio of outer to inner electrode radii which as a consequence produces a radial gain profile which is well localized in the center of the discharge tube and accordingly allows for efficient matching of low order stable optical modes to the active gain region while providing a high degree of mode selectivity in favor of these modes.
6 Citations
14 Claims
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1. In a transversely excited atmospheric gas laser excited for pulsed discharging by a high voltage pulse forming network, and having a housing adapted to envelope a laser medium and to support a coaxial electrode structure and a pair of optical cavity mirror elements, the improvement comprising:
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an outer anode electrode consisting of a metallic tubular member of a predetermined inner diameter; and an inner cathode electrode consisting of a length of electrical conductor having an outer diameter which is extremely small relative to the inner diameter of said outer electrode coaxially aligned within said outer electrode and wherein the ratio of the outer to inner electrode diameters is selectively large to produce a radial gain profile which is substantially localized in the vicinity of the inner electrode;
so that the inner cathode electrode is highly stressed when a negative polarity voltage from the high voltage pulse forming network is applied thereto, and the inner cathode electrode also functions as a preionizing electrode so that a uniform discharge is obtained without arcing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification