[TCML] Re: Off topic/ Inductively pumped Nitrogen Laser

[vatercox@xxxxxxx]

Dear List,

what I understand I am talking about is essentially an exotic application of "induction lighting". Suppose we fill the secondary form of a TC with an easily-ionised gas, with windows at both ends to allow the light to emerge. I have done similar before by inserting a 20 watt fluorescent tube inside the solenoid of a very-low powered TC and it is surprising how much light is produced this way when there is no direct electrical connection to the lamp; one of the factors affecting this behaviour is no doubt the relatively high voltage across the coil ionising the gas by way of the electric field (capacitive coupling) it would be interesting to know  how much is due to the magnetic field of the coil interacting with the already conducting gas (inductive coupling).
 
I understand nitrogen is one of the more difficult gases to ionise,  also nitrogen only exists  the excited upper state for 40ns thereafter decaying to a excited metastable state where it persists for several seconds before returning to the ground state; this set a limit on the time the laser can be "lasing" before the accumulation/ removal  of metastable nitrogen becomes a problem and effectively precludes the use of CW operation in nitrogen lasers

Would  anyone on the list have any comments on the Russian circuits to the way that they resemble or not recognised TC circuits (including magnifiers) in topology and/or operation and would this be of use to amateur experimenters interested in TCs and lasers and of course magnetism, in the way of building a better laser -e.g in a nitrogen laser the unneveness
of arcing between between metal electrodes is seen as a serious problem that an "electrodeless" design might go some way to mitigate?

Would the gas pressure likely have to be dropped below atmospheric or  not and if not would immersing the TC secondary (with laser tube inside) in an insulator like sulfur hexafluoride or mineral oil be advisable to prevent external breakdown -particularly when nitrogen at atmspheric pressure is used as the lasant- in view of the high breakdwn voltage of nitrogen gas?

Does anyone have any experience with filling a TC secondary with conductive gas at reduced or atmospheric pressure and the likely effects of doing so?



 
JF Cox





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