Laser uranium enrichment with atomic vapor

In order to develop an experimental machine for atomic laser uranium enrichment method, at present the machine is developed in parallel with the experimental and theoretical researches. As for the development of a laser for the photoionization of uranium, the increase of power output of a copper vapor laser and a dye laser and the spectral control of a dye laser, regarding the development of a separation cell, the thermal flow of liquid metal and the flow distribution of metal vapor in a crucible for storing uranium, the beam convergence and high accelerating voltage of an electron beam gun for heating uranium, and the materials for a crucible and others, and the ion recovering characteristics from weak ionization plasma are described. Atomic laser separation process is to separate uranium-235 atoms by preferably ionizing them with a resonance laser beam, and attention has been paid to it as one of the uranium enrichment technologies of next generation. Its research and development have been advanced in USA, France and UK aiming at the practical use. In Japan, the laser enrichment technology research association was founded in April, 1987, and it was decided to carry out the research and development of experimental machine level. For this purpose, at present, the elementary technologies such as lasers and separation cells are developed energetically. (K.I.)