Optical electronics

The development of an optical diode consisting of a metal-dielectric-metal junction in which the high-speed electric conduction process occurs due to quantum mechanical electron tunneling across the dielectric barrier is briefly reviewed. Potential applications of the diode are discussed

High pressure gas laser technology for atmospheric remote sensing

The development of a fixed frequency chirp-free and highly stable intense pulsed laser made for Doppler wind velocity measurements with accurate ranging is described. Energy extraction from a high pressure CO2 laser at a tunable single mode frequency is also examined

Method and apparatus for stabilizing a gaseous optical maser Patent

Gas laser frequency stabilized by position of mirrors in resonant cavit

Photoexcitation of lasers and chemical reactions for NASA missions: A theoretical study

The possibility of obtaining CW laser oscillation by optical pumping in the infrared at an elevated gas pressure is reviewed. A specific example utilizing a mixture of CO and NO gases is included. The gas pressures considered are in excess of several atmospheres. Laser frequency tuning over a broad region becomes possible at such elevated gas pressures due to collisional broadening of the amplifying transitions. The prior-rate and surprisal analysis are applied to obtain detailed VV and VT rates for CO and NO molecules and the transfer rates in a CO-NO gas mixture. The analysis is capable of giving temperature dependence of the rate constants. Computer estimates of the rates are presented for vibrational levels up to v = 50. The results show that in the high-lying vibrational states the VV transfer rates with Delta nu = 2 become appreciable

Optical and Infrared Masers

Contains reports on one research project