The Los Alamos KrF Laser Program

Abstract

Los Alamos is currently developing the krypton fluoride (KrF) laser — a highly efficient laser able to emit very intense bursts of short-wavelength photons — as a research tool for the general study of highdensity matter as well as for use in laser fusion. The KrF laser operates at 1/4 µm, close to the short-wavelength limit for conventional optical material, but still in the region where standard optical techniques can be used. The excited-state lifetime of the KrF lasing medium is short — as a result of both spontaneous emission and deactivation from collisions — making it impossible to store energy within the lasing medium for times significant to electrical pumping. However, an optical multiplexing scheme is being developed that will generate short, intense pulses of 1/4-µm light by overcoming the short storage time of the laser and taking advantage of the high gain of the KrF medium.

Work performed under the auspices of USDOE