Interaction between unstable optical resonator and CW chemical laser
Abstract
The interaction between an unstable resonator and a CW diffusion-type chemical laser with turbulent or laminar mixing is analyzed by means of geometric optics and a simplified chemical model. Both cylindrical and spherical optics are considered. The radiation is assumed to be diverging, i.e., converging radiation is neglected, and the gain region is assumed adjacent to one of the resonator mirrors. Laser performance is found to depend on the magnification, the ratio of pumping to collisional deactivation rate, the normalized diffusion distance, the normalized axial location of resonator axis, the normalized axial length of resonator, the mirror absorptivity, and the net zero power gain. Analytic solutions are obtained for the limiting cases (M - 1) mach - and 1/M mach -. In the former case, the laser medium is almost completely saturated, and resonator efficiency is high. In the latter case, the radiation incident on the gain region originates near the optical axis and is uniform.
- Publication:
-
Aerospace Corp. Interim Report, El Segundo, CA. Lab. Operations.
- Pub Date:
- September 1974
- Bibcode:
- 1974aero.reptR....M
- Keywords:
-
- Chemical Lasers;
- Laser Cavities;
- Laser Materials;
- Laminar Mixing;
- Reliability Engineering;
- Turbulent Mixing;
- Lasers and Masers