highest power CW Laser?

[smogthemog]

Both machines have the Truflow 6000 lasers

http://www.trumpf-laser.com/en/produ...ow-8000-w.html

[mixedgas]

No recirculating co2 style gas coolers with roots pumps, and no temp gradient along the tube. Major Tube temp gradients went extinct with the invention of metal disk tubes. Yes, there are small gradients at the anode and cathode. There is gas flow in a ion laser and cataphoresis, but it does not have a huge effect on gain homogeneity along the length, because modern tubes all have some form of effective gas return, in fact real modern tubes have a porous return every few cm.

The really big monsters used another technique, altogether. A 75 watt system was built and operational in 2002. They are out there.

Steve

[buffo]

Wasn't there a program back in the 80's (maybe early 90's even) to build monster argons to enrich uranium? Thought the got up to some really massive power levels before deciding that the process wasn't any more efficient than using centrifuges....

Anyone remember this? How big did they get before they dropped the idea?

Adam

[DMills]

Atomic Vapour Laser Isotope Separation, current thinking seems to favour copper vapour pumped dye laser/amplifier setups (At least as far as the civilian literature is concerned).

Given that the difference in the hyperfine structure between U235 and U238 amounts to tuning a ~500nm line by 0.01nm, the thing has alignment nightmare written all over it. I suspect that piezo actuators for tuning and interferometers to sense the frequency may be involved.

I seem to recall something about the Australians building a pilot plant?

Regards, Dan.

[DMills]

Hey, anyone fancy trying second harmonic generation on a C.O.I.L.?
The KTP would have to be about the size of a house, but it would make HUGE 657.5.

Just a bit of a pity about how nasty the chemistry is.

Regards, Dan.

[300EVIL]

Given that the difference in the hyperfine structure between U235 and U238 amounts to tuning a ~500nm line by 0.01nm, the thing has alignment nightmare written all over it. I suspect that piezo actuators for tuning and interferometers to sense the frequency may be involved.
.

That sounds like fun!.................. NOT!

I'm guessing the EXACT, wavelength is classified.

[weartronics]

I believe Nd:YAG with intra-cavity KTP or LBO has the best cost to perceived brightness ratio of any LASER, CW or Q-switched. That's why it quickly became the darling of the laser show industry since its discovery.

It is important to note that the SHG efficiency is roughly proportional to the square of the power density in the crystal. It means that if you double the intput power, you will get something like quadruple the output power!

This is annoying for high power CW applications, because since somebody discovered Q-switching, you know that you can always produce much more 532nm from the same input power if it's Q-switched! But that is just a fact of life - if you need CW, it's still the best cost to perceived brightness ratio, even without Q-switching.

[weartronics]

You can get an 18W 532nm Verdi or 10W 532nm Viper, those are diode pumped systems.

It's true they are high power CW systems. But doesn't it annoy you in principle, that the same box could produce more than 100W average output power with the addition of a little AO crystal and RF driver? I think God never intended for the highest power LASER shows to be CW.

[Laser Ben]

I would disagree, I think 18W CW is way better then 50W Q-Switched, especially when it is TEM00.

[weartronics]

I would disagree, I think 18W CW is way better then 50W Q-Switched, especially when it is TEM00.

Then I guess your application is not the highest power laser show.