Title :
200-MW 2.026-μm He/Ar/Xe pump laser for space propulsion
Author :
Boody, Frederick P.
Author_Institution :
Ion Light Technol. GmbH, Bad Abbach, Germany
Abstract :
Remote laser propulsion can launch kg-ton payloads to earth orbit without also launching much higher quantities of fuel. He/Ar/Xe is the best nuclear-pumped laser (NPL) for steady-state operation for two reasons: it lases at ∼50 W/cm3, lowest of any high energy NPL, and He has the best heat transfer properties of any NPL gas.
Keywords :
aerospace propulsion; argon; gas lasers; heat transfer; helium; laser beam applications; nuclear pumped lasers; xenon; 2.026 micron; 200 MW; Ar; He; He/Ar/Xe pump laser; Xe; heat transfer properties; nuclear-pumped laser; remote laser propulsion; space propulsion; steady-state operation; Argon; Earth; Fuels; Gas lasers; Helium; Laser excitation; Payloads; Propulsion; Pump lasers; Steady-state;
Conference_Titel :
Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe, 2003. CLEO/Europe. 2003 Conference on
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-7734-6
DOI :
10.1109/CLEOE.2003.1312158
