Mercury Bromide Laser Research.

Abstract

This report summarizes major effort to build a discharge tube and associated apparatus capable of withstanding temperatures to 300 C and pressure to 150 psia, and to parameterize the HgBr laser fluorescence and laser output with respect to nitrogen and Ne buffer gas densities. Prior parameterization has been limited to buffer gas densities of about 1.3 Amagat since the laser tube was made Pyrex and therefore could not sustain more than about 15 psi internal over pressure. By enclosing the Pyrex laser tube inside a stainless steel pressure vessel, we have overcome this pressure limitation by maintaining a positive external pressure upon the laser tube. The steel tank was pressurized with nitrogen to avoid oxidation of the tube connections. Thus, the discharge tube, by being enclosed in a nitrogen protective atmosphere, withstands both the high temperature operation and the high internal operating pressures. Fluorescence, laser output, voltage and current waveforms were taken at various nitrogen fill pressures up to 300 Torr with Ne buffer gas densities up to 5 Amagat. For our experimental tube, the HgBr laser output and fluorescence efficiency was maximum at a nitrogen fill pressure of 150 Torr and increased with neon buffer gas density up to the maximum tested of 5 Amagat at a reservoir temperature of about 150 C. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 04, 1981
Accession Number
ADA103730

Entities

People

  • C. S. Liu
  • D. W. Feldman
  • I. Liberman
  • J. L. Pack

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Capacitance
  • Capacitors
  • Detectors
  • Discharge Tubes
  • Glow Discharges
  • High Pressure
  • High Temperature
  • High Voltage
  • Impedance
  • Inversion
  • Lasers
  • Measurement
  • Monitoring
  • Repetition Rate
  • Spark Gaps
  • Stainless Steel
  • Strip Transmission Lines

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Combustion Dynamics and Shock Wave Physics.
  • Plasma Physics.
  • Thermal Physics or Thermal Science.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Directed Energy - Lasers