DIATOMIC GAS OPTICAL MASER WITH EXPLODING WIRE PUMPING SOURCE,
Abstract
The feasibility of a gaseous maser in which the excited atoms are produced through photochemical decomposition of diatomic molecules (such as nitrogen, oxygen and nitric oxide) is studied. As an example, the photodissociation of NO is discussed in detail. The calculations indicate that light oscillation may be achieved at 7468.8 angstroms and 8446 angstroms wavelengths. Because of the required high excitation energies, the useful pumping band of such a system is in the extreme ultraviolet. Exploding wire is suggested as a suitable light source, having very intense output in the vacuum ultraviolet, with excellent reproducibility of its spectral characteristics per flash. Preliminary experiments show that when nitrogen and oxygen molecules are photoactivated by the light output of an exploding wire, the 7468.8 angstrom nitrogen and 8446 angstrom Oxygen emission lines appear with relatively high intensities. Further experimental and theoretical investigations are desirable before constructing the optical maser, in order to obtain more information about the processes involved in the exploding-wire type excitation of a gas and in the photodissociation of diatomic molecules. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 05, 1963
- Accession Number
- AD0421806
Entities
People
- L. Hajdu
Organizations
- University of California, Berkeley