Small sized reactor for laser radiation

Substantiation of the possibility of the creation of an autonomous nuclear power plant generating laser radiation is given in this paper. The work of the power plant is based on the use of the small sized reactor, generating electric energy, with non-self maintained discharge lasers built-in reactor core or reflector, having high flux density of a thermal neutron ΦTh≥1,0.1013 cm-2.s-1 in the channels, where the lasers are located. A thermionic fast reactor-converter with beryllium reflector of the space nuclear-energetic installation was chosen for consideration by us, because the neutron radiation and electric energy necessary for operating of nonself maintained discharge lasers should be produced in one nuclear reactor. To prove the possibility of operation of the non-self maintained discharge lasers in the reactor and estimate parameters of the laser systems in the reactor, we used the results of experimental and computing researches of the neutron characteristics of non-self maintained discharge lasers built-in the beryllium reflector. These experiments were carried out by us on the critical assembly PhS-1, simulating that thermionic fast reactor-converter. Moreover, we used the research results of the in-reactor diagnostics of the nuclear-excited plasma of the laser gas mixtures, data of experimental characteristics of non-self maintained discharge, threshold and output data of lasers of different waves lengths, carried out by us earlier on the Kazakhstan Research Nuclear Reactor WWR-K. Thus the possibility of achieving an autonomous, compact nuclear power plant generating not only electrical energy, but also laser radiation concerning the large capacities of infra-red and ultra-violet range of waves lengths in stationary and pulse modes is shown. (author)