Efficient and rapid coupling of laser radiation to a gaseous medium through resonance saturation

It has been shown that coupling of laser energy into a gaseous medium can be achieved extremely rapidly and with high efficiency through resonance saturation. Both a detailed computer code and a simple physical model of this interaction have been developed. The LIBORS (laser interaction based on resonance saturation) computer code represents the atom by a 20-level model and takes account of all of the radiative-collisional processes, while the simple physical model provides considerable insight into the relative importance of the various processes. It has also been shown that this new kind of interaction can lead to the formation of plasma channels that should be ideal for transportation of electron or ion beams for future inertial fusion schemes and to plasma heating rates in excess of 10 to the 13th K per sec