Re: Coil ideas for experiments

To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: Coil ideas for experiments
From: "Jim Lux" <jimlux-at-jpl.nasa.gov> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 11:31:02 -0600
Approved: twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net
Delivered-To: fixup-tesla-at-pupman-dot-com-at-fixme

> 
> > Nitrogen laser are powerful easy to built  and radiate in the UV region
> of the
> > spectrum (perfect for ionization )
> >  http://www.repairfaq-dot-org/sam/lasercn2.htm#cn2saf
> 
>     Only great for single shot experiments, such as coin crusher, etc.
and
> TC's in
> SS mode.  Pulsed Nitrogen lasers cannot be operated in the khz range--I
*think*
> because of the characteristics of the laser plasma.
>             --Mike

More important is that a N2 laser doesn't put out high enough peak powers
to ionize the air (except possibly if focussed down to a very tiny point).
I have a photograph of a pulsed CO2 laser breaking down the air along the
beam. The laser cavity volume is about 40 liters(!), and, as I recall, the
pulses were on the order of 20 kJ (with a very short pulse length, on the
order of nanoseconds).

BTW the reason high reprates are hard with a N2 laser is that warm N2
doesn't lase.