Metal Vapour Lasers: Physics, Engineering and Applications

ISBN-13: 9780471973874 / Angielski / Twarda / 1999 / 646 str.

Christopher E. Little

Opis

Metal vapour lasers are an important class of gas laser, for which a wide range of applications have been developed.

Recenzje

"Everything you wanted to know about metal vapour lasers, but were afraid to ask – perhaps an effective summary of the new book by Christopher Little of St Andrews University. Undoubtedly a book you must buy if you are working in the field." (Optics Laser Technology, 4th March, 1999)

"This book provides a comprehensive overview of the most important types of these lasers [metal vapour lasers]." (La Doc Sti, Vol. 371, March 1999)

Spis treści

Self–terminating Metal Vapour Lasers.

Copper Vapour Lasers.

Molecular–donor Copper Lasers.

Engineering and Electrical Excitation of Pulsed Copper Lasers.

Gain Behaviour, Optical Resonators and Beam Quality of Pulsed Copper Lasers.

Frequency Extension of Copper Lasers and Other Resonance–metastable MVLs.

Applications of Copper Lasers and Other Resonance–metastable Metal Vapour Lasers.

Strontium and Calcium Ion Recombination Lasers.

Cataphoretic Helium–Cadmium Ion Lasers.

White–light Helium–Cadmium Ion Lasers.

Ultraviolet and Infrared Copper, Silver and Gold Ion Lasers.

Bibliography.

Index.

Blurb

Metal Vapour Lasers Christopher E. Little University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland Since the first successful demonstration of a metal vapour laser (MVL) in 1962, this class of laser has become widely used in a broad range of fields including precision materials processing, isotope separation and medicine. The MVLs that are used today have a range of impressive characteristics that are not readily available using other technologies. In particular, the combination of high average output powers, pulse recurrence frequencies and beam quality available from green/yellow Cu vapour lasers (CVLs) and Cu bromide lasers, coupled with the high–quality, multiwatt ultraviolet (265–289 nm) radiation that can be produced using simple nonlinear optical techniques, means that Cu lasers will continue to be important for many years. Metal Vapour Lasers covers all the most commercially important and scientifically interesting pulsed and continuous wave (CW) gas–discharge MVLs, and includes device histories, operating characteristics, engineering, kinetics, commercial exploitation and applications. Short descriptions of gas discharges and excitation techniques make this volume self–consistent. A comprehensive bibliography is also provided. The greater part of this book is devoted to CVLs and their variants, including new sealed–off, high–power ′kinetically enhanced′ CVLs and Cu bromide lasers. However, many other self–terminating MVLs are also discussed, including the red AuVL, green/infrared MnVL and infrared BaVL. Pulsed, high–gain, high average power lasers in the UV/violet (373.7, 430.5 nm) spectral regions are represented by Sr¯+ and Ca¯+ discharge–afterglow recombination lasers. The most commercially successful of the MVLs – the CW, UV/blue cataphoretic He–Cd¯+ ion laser – is described. Hollow cathode lasers are represented in two guises: ′white light′ (blue/green/red) He–Cd¯+ ion lasers and UV/infrared Ne/He–Cu¯+ ion lasers. This unique volume is an essential reference source for all those working on metal vapour lasers, and all those who use them, from postgraduate students through to experienced scientists and engineers. It will also be extremely useful to all those working in other gas laser technologies, and in gas discharge physics.