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Carbon dioxide laser as a simple portable unit generates coherent light pulses at selected infrared wavelengths. The improved laser was designed for the detection of air pollutants but can be applied to optical communications.
Pulsed carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers have many applications in aeronautics, space research, weather monitoring and other areas. Full exploitation of the potential of these lasers in hampered by the dissociation of CO2 that occurs during laser operation. The development of closed-cycle CO2 lasers requires active CO-O2 recombination (CO oxidation) catalyst and design methods for implementation of catalysts in CO2 laser systems. A monolith catalyst section model and associated design computer program, LASCAT, are presented to assist in the design of a monolith catalyst section of a closed cycle CO2 laser system. Using LASCAT,the designer is able to specify a number of system parameters and determine the monolith section performance. Trade-offs between the catalyst activity, catalyst dimensions, monolith dimensions, pressure drop, O2 conversion, and other variables can be explored and adjusted to meet system design specifications. An introduction describes a typical closed-cycle CO2 system, and indicates some advantages of a closed cycle laser system over an open cycle system and some advantages of monolith support over other types of supports. The development and use of a monolith catalyst model is presented. The results of a design study and a discussion of general design rules are given.
Carbon dioxide laser intersatellite communication systems as economical alternative to microwave and millimeter systems, noting use onboard ATS satellites
Carbon dioxide laser systems for various space communication links between ground, satellites and Mars probe
Basalt heating with IR carbon dioxide laser, investigating vapor fractionation for inert atmospheres, very high temperatures and silicon dioxide poor materials
Carbon dioxide lasers - bibliography with abstracts and keywords
Time variations of reflectance measured for carbon dioxide laser beam splitters
Literature search on carbon dioxide lasers, bibliography with abstracts
Direct current biased photoconductive detectors for reception of wideband carbon dioxide laser signals
The purpose is to attempt a general introduction to pulsed carbon dioxide lasers of the kind used or proposed for laser radar applications. Laser physics is an excellent example of a cross-disciplinary topic, and the molecular spectroscopy, energy transfer, and plasma kinetics of the devices are explored. The concept of stimulated emission and population inversions is introduced, leading on to the molecular spectroscopy of the CO2 molecule. This is followed by a consideration of electron-impact pumping, and the pertinent energy transfer and relaxation processes which go on. Since the devices are plasma pumped, it is necessary to introduce a complex subject, but this is restricted to appropriate physics of glow discharges. Examples of representative devices are shown. The implications of the foregoing to plasma chemistry and gas life are discussed.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory Carbon Dioxide Laser Absorption Spectrometer (CO2LAS) utilizes Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) at 2.05 microns to obtain CO2 column mixing ratios weighted heavily in the boundary layer. CO2LAS employs a coherent detection receiver and continuous-wave Th:Ho:YLF laser transmitters with output powers around 100 milliwatts. An offset frequency-locking scheme coupled to an absolute frequency reference enables the frequencies of the online and offline lasers to be held to within 200 kHz of desired values. We describe results from 2009 field campaigns when CO2LAS flew on the Twin Otter. We also describe spectroscopic studies aimed at uncovering potential biases in lidar CO2 retrievals at 2.05 microns.
Optical resonator designed for use with carbon dioxide lasers
Frequency shift of rotation-vibration band oscillation in carbon dioxide laser
A computer program was written that allows the design of catalytic monoliths for closed-cycle carbon dioxide lasers. Using design parameters obtained from workers at NASA Langley Research Center and from the literature, several specific monoliths were designed and the results were communicated to the research group working on this project at Langley. Two oral presentations were made at NASA-sponsored workshops - at Langley in January 1988 and in Gainesville, Florida in May 1988.
Transverse electrically-excited-atmosphere (TEA) laser is continuously tunable over several hundred megahertz about centers of spectral lines of carbon dioxide. It is operated in single longitudinal mode (SLM) by injection of beam from continuous-wave, tunable-waveguide carbon dioxide laser, which serves as master frequency-control oscillator. Device measures absorption line of ozone; with adjustments, it is applicable to monitoring of atmospheric trace species.
A closed-cycle, continuous wave, carbon dioxide high power laser has been designed and fabricated to support research for the identification and evaluation of possible high power laser applications. The device is designed to generate up to 70 kW of laser power in annular shape beams from 1 to 9 cm in diameter. Electric discharge, either self sustained or electron beam sustained, is used for excitation. This laser facility provides a versatile tool on which research can be performed to advance the state-of-the-art technology of high power CO2 lasers in such areas as electric excitation, laser chemistry, and quality of output beams. The facility provides a well defined, continuous wave beam for various application experiments, such as propulsion, power conversion, and materials processing.
The National Research Council's decadal survey on Earth Science and Applications from Space[1] recommended the Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days, and Seasons (ASCENDS) mission for launch in 2013-2016 as a logical follow-on to the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) which is scheduled for launch in late 2008 [2]. The use of a laser absorption measurement technique provides the required ability to make day and night measurements of CO2 over all latitudes and seasons. As a demonstrator for an approach to meeting the instrument needs for the ASCENDS mission we have developed the airborne Carbon Dioxide Laser Absorption Spectrometer (CO2LAS) which uses the Integrated Path Differential Absorption (IPDA) Spectrometer [3] technique operating in the 2 micron wavelength region.. During 2006 a short engineering checkout flight of the CO2LAS was conducted and the results presented previously [4]. Several short flight campaigns were conducted during 2007 and we report results from these campaigns.
As a precursor to and validation of the core technology necessary for NASA's Active Sensing of CO2 Emissions over Nights, Days,and Seasons (ASCENDS) mission, we flew JPL's Carbon Dioxide Laser Absorption Spectrometer (CO2LAS) in a campaign of five flights onboard NASA's DC-8 Airborne Laboratory in July 2010. This is the latest in a series of annual flight campaigns that began in 2006, and our first on the DC-8 aircraft.