Power supply for discharge pulses consists of two capacitors that are made to discharge synchronously with adjustable time intervals. First pulse is switched with hydrogen thyratron, and second by spark gap. Lasing action peaks for appropriate combination of these two parameters

Chen, C. J.

Merheim, N. M.

Russell, G. R.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

Jine 1975	 B75-10123 
NASA TECH BRIEF 
NASA Pasadena Office 
NASA Tech Briefs announce new technology derived from the U.S. space program. They are issued to encourage 
commercial application. Tech Briefs are available on a subscription basis from the National Technical Information 
Service, Springfield, Virginia 22151. Requests for individual copies or questions relating to the Tech Brief program may 
be directed to the Technology Utilization Office, NASA, Code KT, Washington, D.C. 20546. 
Double-Discharge Copper-Vapor Laser 
The problem: 
Recently, copper-vapor lasers have been shown to 
have potentially high power and efficiency in the 
visible spectrum. However, their typical operating 
temperatures are around 1,500° C, which makes them 
difficult to use. 
The solution: 
Two consecutive timed discharges have been used 
to produce lasing in copper chloride at 400° C.
How it's done: 
A version of the copper chloride laser is shown in 
Figure 1. The power supply for the discharge pulses 
consists of two capacitors that are made to discharge 
synchronously with adjustable time intervals. The first 
pulse is switched with a hydrogen thyratron, and the 
second by a spark gap. 
Studies on the effects of discharge time delay and 
the effects of temperature in copper-vapor lasers have 
shown that lasing action peaks for the appropriate 
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Buffer-Gas
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Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of a Copper-Chloride Laser	 - 
(continued overleaf) 
This document was prepared under the sponsorship of the National	 Government assumes any liability resulting from the use of the 
Aeronautics and Space Administration. Neither the United States 	 information contained in this document, or warrants that such use 
Government nor any person acting on behalf of the United States 	 will be free from privately owned rights.
[1
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19750000123 2020-03-19T20:24:20+00:00Z
40
(a)	 (b) 
Temperature = 396 C	 Time Delay = 180 Ms 
30
. 
20 
a. 
Ae
10 
0
0 200	 300	 400	 500 
Time Dealy-s	 Temperature-CC 
Figure 2. Dependence of Laser Peak Power on 
	
(a) Time Delay Between Pulses and (b) Temperature	 fl 
combination of these two parameters. The results of 
one experimental measurement of these parameters 
are shown in Figure-2. At low temperatures, the vapor 
pressure is too low to provide enough copper atoms for 
lasing. The reason for the high-temperature limit is 
not clear, but the higher number density of the copper 
chloride vapor may lower the electron temperature 
and thus decrease the rate of excitation. The lower 
limit of time delay may represent the time required for 
the copper to relax to the point where it is possible to 
produce a population inversion with a second 
discharge. The upper time-delay limit is thought to be 
due to chemical recombination of the copper chloride. 
Note: 
Requests for further information may be directed 
to:
Technology Utilization Officer. 
NASA Pasadena Office 
4800 Oak Grove Drive 
Pasadena, California 91103 
Reference: TSP75-10123
Patent status: 
This invention is owned by NASA, and a patent 
application has been filed. Inquiries concerning non-
exclusive or exclusive license for its commercial 
development should be addressed to: 
Patent Counsel 
NASA Pasadena Office 
4800 Oak Grove Drive 
Pasadena, California 91103 
Source: Che J. Chen, Nobel M. Merheim, and

Gary R. Russell of
Caltech/JPL
under contract to

NASA Pasadena Office
(NPO-13448) 
B75-10123	 Category: 03 (Physical Sciences)


Double-discharge copper-vapor laser

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