Published October 15, 1980 | Version v1
Journal article

Fission-fragment nuclear lasing of Ar(He)-Xe

  • 1. Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056

Description

Nuclear-pumped lasing of Ar-Xe and He-Xe has been demonstrated using 235UF6 fission-fragment excitation. Fission fragments were created by absorption of thermal neutrons in a combination of gaseous 235UF6 and laser-tube wall coatings formed from UF6 chemical reaction products. At a pressure of 600 Torr Ar--(3%) Xe, lasing occurred at 2.65 μm in Xe. Up to 3 Torr of gaseous 235UF6 was added to 600 Torr Ar-Xe before serious laser quenching occurred. With 3 Torr of 235UF6 added, 38% of the energy deposition came from gaseous UF6 and the remainder from the uranium wall coating. The neutron flux at lasing threshold was found to be 4 x 1015 n/cm2 sec

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Appl. Phys. Lett.
Journal Volume
37
Journal Issue
8
Series
Appl. Phys. Lett.
Journal Page Range
679-681
ISSN
0003-6951