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Building a pulsed CO2 laser

TSLexi

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Oct 27, 2014
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Hi guys!

I'm interested in building a pulsed CO2 laser (I recently came into acquiring a sealed laser tube and three 3 kF 2.7 V ultracapacitors). I'm trying to recreate this guy's neat invention: You?ll shoot your eye out?with a 1MW laser pulse pistol, although in a slightly larger size with a CO2

The specs I am trying to achieve are:

1. Energy per pulse: 25 J
2. Pulse width: 100 ns
3 Pulse rate: 200 Hz
4. Spot size: 1.5 mm^2

From some calculations, I have determined that the laser's average power would be 5 kW, and the peak power would be 250 MW. It would have an irradiance of 16.7 GW/cm^2, and a fluence of 1.67 kJ/cm^2.

I have also determined that the total energy required for each firing cycle of the laser would be 5 kJ, and since each of my capacitors store 10.9 kJ (.5*3000*2.7^2; a total of 32.8 kJ), I have enough energy to operate at least the laser itself, assuming 20% efficiency in converting electrical to optical power.

I'm just trying to figure out cooling requirements. For compactness, I'd like to use a Peltier cooler to reduce the water flow requirements.

Thanks, and call me stupid if you think that's appropriate :)

Lexi
 
Last edited:





Joined
Sep 12, 2007
Messages
9,399
Points
113
I'm trying to recreate this guy's neat invention: You?ll shoot your eye out?with a 1MW laser pulse pistol

It is NOT invention, it is a device from a tank's range finder. Google SSY-1. He's even lying about the power. It's closer to 10kW peak, but even that is deceptive, because pulsed lasers are measured in joules. His was about 1 joule per pulse, and requires many seconds if not many minutes to recharge.

I have enough energy to operate at least the laser itself, assuming 20% efficiency in converting electrical to optical power.

Supercaps operate at very low voltages, and cannot be charged or discharged rapidly, let alone at 200ns. How do you propose to shorten the pulse length and step up the voltage instantaneously and simultaneously?

Do you have a CO2 laser head?

What do you intend on using for mirrors?

How do you propose cooling a gas with a peltier?

How are you going to interface megawatts of peltier with the gas?

How are you going to power megawatts of peltier?

There are no realistic answers to these questions.

call me stupid if you think that's appropriate :)

You're stupid, lexi.

Not because of what you know, but because of what you think you know. You're thinking in terms of energy ONLY. There are many other factors to consider, and you're ignoring all of them. Enthusiasm is great, but enthusiasm alone makes you look foolish.
 

TSLexi

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Joined
Oct 27, 2014
Messages
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Points
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It is NOT invention, it is a device from a tank's range finder. Google SSY-1. He's even lying about the power. It's closer to 10kW peak, but even that is deceptive, because pulsed lasers are measured in joules. His was about 1 joule per pulse, and requires many seconds if not many minutes to recharge.



Supercaps operate at very low voltages, and cannot be charged or discharged rapidly, let alone at 200ns. How do you propose to shorten the pulse length and step up the voltage instantaneously and simultaneously?

Do you have a CO2 laser head?

What do you intend on using for mirrors?

How do you propose cooling a gas with a peltier?

How are you going to interface megawatts of peltier with the gas?

How are you going to power megawatts of peltier?

There are no realistic answers to these questions.



You're stupid, lexi.

Not because of what you know, but because of what you think you know. You're thinking in terms of energy ONLY. There are many other factors to consider, and you're ignoring all of them. Enthusiasm is great, but enthusiasm alone makes you look foolish.

I just got the tube from a friend, and I'm searching for an appropriate head. Does HyperTherm make good products? I intend to use Mo mirrors.

I'm going to use Freon or water cooling, as I just remembered I do have a 7 L/min pump, and I can keep the reservoir cooled with a Peltier.

In terms of pulsing the energy, I've decided to use a Q-switch.

I could use the ultracapacitor to power a 200 Hz LC oscillator, and send the output of that circuit to a step-up transformer to excite the laser.
 
Joined
Sep 12, 2007
Messages
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113
zc9cb.gif


I tried.
 
Joined
Aug 14, 2013
Messages
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Have you looked into thermoacoustic or
magnetic refrigeration? I've heard that
can get you down to single digit Kelvin
temperatures.

You may also want to consider the effects
of stray magnetic fields on the excited
plasma discharge and subsequent mu metal
shielding to possibly achieve intracavity
laminar hypersonic mach diamonds.

This could be a new area of research into
master oscillator power amplification in
the CO2 regime. :thinking:
 

TSLexi

0
Joined
Oct 27, 2014
Messages
3
Points
0
Have you looked into thermoacoustic or
magnetic refrigeration? I've heard that
can get you down to single digit Kelvin
temperatures.

You may also want to consider the effects
of stray magnetic fields on the excited
plasma discharge and subsequent mu metal
shielding to possibly achieve intracavity
laminar hypersonic mach diamonds.

This could be a new area of research into
master oscillator power amplification in
the CO2 regime. :thinking:

That makes absolutely no sense.
 




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