Abstract:
A detector apparatus (10) is provided and includes a collector (20) having access to a sample of a gaseous fluid and a tester (40) coupled to and disposed remotely from the collector (20). The tester (40) includes a test chamber (41) into which a sample is directed from the collector (20), an excitation element 43, such as a laser, to excite the sample in the test chamber (41) and a spectrum analyzing device (44), such as a spectrometer, coupled to the test chamber (41) to analyze the excited sample, and preferably to generate a plasma or filament, for evidence of a concentration of particles of interest, such as isotopic molecules, in the gaseous fluid exceeding a threshold concentration. The threshold concentration is defined in accordance with a type of the particles of interest and a residence time of the sample. In particular, the apparatus is for radioactive anomaly detection of hidden or shielded special nuclear materials (SNM) or smuggled nuclear weapons in shipping containers at ports where the are loaded or unloaded via a crane system, or at check points when the containers are on trucks that move or pass through check points.
Abstract:
A solid-state eye-safe laser with gain boost by dual-wavelength, synchronized, pumplights. The laser includes a medium (47) doped with ions that emit light (62) at a laser wavelength as a result of the transition of electron energy from an upper energy level manifold to a lower energy level manifold. A first pumplight (56) couples energy into the medium (47) at a first wavelength that excites a first portion of the ions into said upper energy level manifold. A second pumplight (52) couples energy into said medium (47) at a second wavelength that excites a second portion of the ions to a third energy level manifold. A fraction of the ions relax to the upper energy level manifold and thereby increase the gain of the laser (2). The laser may be an erbium crystal laser, using yttriumaluminum-garnet operating near 1640 nanometers. A second ion, such as ytterbium, may be diffused into the lasing medium (47), and an inter-ionic energy transfer employed to coupled the second pumplight (52) energy to the upper level energy manifold of he laser transition.
Abstract:
A detector apparatus is provided and includes a collector having access to a sample of a gaseous fluid and a tester coupled to and disposed remotely from the collector. The tester includes a test chamber into which a sample is directed from the collector, an excitation element to excite the sample in the test chamber and a spectrum analyzing device coupled to the test chamber to analyze the excited sample for evidence of a concentration of particles of interest in the gaseous fluid exceeding a threshold concentration. The threshold concentration is defined in accordance with a type of the particles of interest and a residence time of the sample.
Abstract:
A modulated saturable absorber controlled laser. The laser includes an active medium (12); a saturable absorber material (18) operationally coupled to the medium to serve as a passive Q switch; and an energy source (20) disposed external to the medium for apply energy to the absorber. In particular embodiments, the energy source is a diode laser and focusing optics are included between the diode laser and the absorber. Modulation of the gain at the photon round trip time in the laser resonator causes a mode-locked laser output. A dichroic beamsplitter (24) is included in this embodiment for directing energy to the absorber. In an alternative embodiment, the diode laser is a quasi-monolithic diode laser assembly ring (27).
Abstract:
A laser system and method. The inventive laser includes an annular gain medium (37); a source of pump energy (13, 15, 17), and an arrangement (25, 27, 29, 31) for concentrating energy from the source on the gain medium. In a more specific implementation, a mechanism is included for rotating the gain medium (37) to effect extraction of pump energy and cooling. In the illustrative embodiment, the pump source is a diode array. Energy from the array is coupled to the medium via an array of optical fibers (25, 27, 29). The outputs of the fibers are input to a concentrator (31) that directs the pump energy onto a pump region of the medium (37). In the best mode, plural disks (30, 32, 34) of gain media are arranged in an offset manner to provide a single resonator architecture. First (46) and second (48) mirrors are added to complete the resonator. In accordance with the inventive teachings, a method for pumping and cooling a laser is taught. In the illustrative embodiment, the inventive method includes the steps of providing a gain medium; pumping energy into a region of the gain medium; moving the medium; extracting energy from the region of the medium; and cooling region of the medium.
Abstract:
A laser system and method. The inventive laser includes an annular gain medium (37); a source of pump energy (13, 15, 17), and an arrangement (25, 27, 29, 31) for concentrating energy from the source on the gain medium. In a more specific implementation, a mechanism is included for rotating the gain medium (37) to effect extraction of pump energy and cooling. In the illustrative embodiment, the pump source is a diode array. Energy from the array is coupled to the medium via an array of optical fibers (25, 27, 29). The outputs of the fibers are input to a concentrator (31) that directs the pump energy onto a pump region of the medium (37). In the best mode, plural disks (30, 32, 34) of gain media are arranged in an offset manner to provide a single resonator architecture. First (46) and second (48) mirrors are added to complete the resonator. In accordance with the inventive teachings, a method for pumping and cooling a laser is taught. In the illustrative embodiment, the inventive method includes the steps of providing a gain medium; pumping energy into a region of the gain medium; moving the medium; extracting energy from the region of the medium; and cooling region of the medium.
Abstract:
A solid-state eye-safe laser with gain boost by dual-wavelength, synchronized, pumplights. The laser includes a medium (47) doped with ions that emit light (62) at a laser wavelength as a result of the transition of electron energy from an upper energy level manifold to a lower energy level manifold. A first pumplight (56) couples energy into the medium (47) at a first wavelength that excites a first portion of the ions into said upper energy level manifold. A second pumplight (52) couples energy into said medium (47) at a second wavelength that excites a second portion of the ions to a third energy level manifold. A fraction of the ions relax to the upper energy level manifold and thereby increase the gain of the laser (2). The laser may be an erbium crystal laser, using yttriumaluminum-garnet operating near 1640 nanometers. A second ion, such as ytterbium, may be diffused into the lasing medium (47), and an inter-ionic energy transfer employed to coupled the second pumplight (52) energy to the upper level energy manifold of he laser transition.
Abstract:
An inherently efficient direct eye-safe laser based on Er:Crystal technology utilizing intra-cavity energy conversion. The Er:Crystal laser is intra-cavity pumped by a highly efficient ytterbium or neodymium crystal laser (64), which is in-turn, pumped by conventional infrared diodes array bars (52, 54). The laser is inherently compact and low cost allowing for significant scaling of the output energy and power with greatly reduced number of required diode pump sources. This intra-cavity pump scheme of appropriate Er:Crystals also provides for efficient generation of ultra-short Q-switched pulse operation of such lasers.