Prospects for a gamma‐ray laser
DOI: 10.1063/1.3068817
Lasers generating wavelengths shorter than one angstrom unit would have many important applications. Ever since the discovery of the Mössbauer effect it has been realized that we would be able to stimulate nuclear transitions suitable for lasers in this range if we could prepare the population inversion on which lasers depend, and it has also long been known that some nuclear isomers are producible in a state of population inversion. Why then do we not yet have any operating gamma‐ray lasers?
References
1. A. Einstein, Phys. Zeitschr. 18, 121, (1917); https://doi.org/PHZTAO
B. Lengyel, Lasers, Wiley, New York, (1962); section 3, pages 3–10;
A. Yariv, Quantum Electronics, Wiley, New York (1967), pages 208–210.2. L. Landau, E. Lifschitz, Electrodynamics of Continuous Media, English trans. by J. B. Sykes and J. S. Bell, Addison‐Wesley, Reading, Mass., (1960); page 377.
3. A. L. Schawlow, C. H. Townes, Phys. Rev. 112, 1949 (1958).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
4. G. C. Baldwin, in Laser Interaction and Related Plasma Phenomena, Vol. 3, (H. Schwarz, H. Hora, eds.) Plenum, New York (1974), pages 875–888.
5. W. Vali, V. Vali, Proc. IEEE 51, 182 (1963).https://doi.org/IEEPAD
6. B. V. Chirikov, Sov. Phys.‐JETP 17, 1355 (1963).https://doi.org/SPHJAR
7. G. C. Baldwin, J. P. Neissel, J. H. Terhune, L. Tonks, Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc. 6, 176 (1963).https://doi.org/TANSAO
8. G. C. Baldwin, J. P. Neissel, J. H. Terhune, L. Tonks, Proc. IEEE 51, 1247 (1963).https://doi.org/IEEPAD
9. Unpublished reports on this subject include: L. Rivlin, Soviet Patent Disclosure Jan. 1961, cited by Chirikov in reference 6;
G. C. Baldwin, J. P. Neissel, L. Tonks, Patent Disclosure October 1961 and Internal General Electric Reports 62GL22, 62GL178, February and December 1962;
B. Podolsky, J. Mize, C. Carpenter, AVCO Internal Report 63AVCO‐109, August 1963;
R. Babcock, S. Ruby, L. Epstein, Westinghouse Report, December 1963.
US Patents related to stimulated emission in nuclear states include: Baldwin et al., 3 234 099;
Vali et al., 3 281 600;
Eerckens, 3 430 046;
Piekenbrock, 3 557 370.10. Mössbauer Effect, (Selected reprints), American Association of Physics Teachers (1963).
11. J. H. Terhune, G. C. Baldwin, Phys. Rev. Lett. 14, 589 (1965).https://doi.org/PRLTAO
12. R. V. Khokhlov, Sov Phys‐JETP Lett. 15, 414 (1972);
Paper A4, Proc. VII IQEC, Montreal, May 1972.13. Nuclear Data Sheets, edited by the Nuclear Data Group, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (W. J. Horen, Director), published by Academic Press, New York; contains frequently revised compilations of isomer properties.
14. V. I. Goldanskii, Yu. Kagan, Sov. Phys.‐JETP 37, 49 (1973).https://doi.org/SPHJAR
15. J. D. Shipman, Jr, Appl. Phys. Lett. 10, 3 (1967).https://doi.org/APPLAB
16. G. W. Grodstein, “X‐Ray Attenuation Coefficients from 10 keV to 100 MeV,” NBS‐583, Nat. Bur. Stds., Washington, 1957.
17. G. Borrmann, Zeits. Phys. 42, 157 (1941).https://doi.org/ZEPYAA
18. P. P. Ewald, Rev. Mod. Phys. 37, 46 (1965); https://doi.org/RMPHAT
B. Batterman, H. Cole, Rev. Mod. Phys. 36, 681 (1964).https://doi.org/RMPHAT19. Yu. Kagan, Sov. Phys.‐JETP Lett. 20, 11 (1974).https://doi.org/SPHJAR
20. V. I. Goldanskii, Yu. Kagan, Sov. Phys.‐Uspekhi 16, Jan.–Feb., 1974; https://doi.org/SOPUAP
Proc. Vth Int. Conf. on Mössbauer Spectroscopy, Bratislava, Sept. 1973.21. V. S. Letokhov, Sov. Phys.‐JETP 37, 787 (1973); https://doi.org/SPHJAR
III Vavilov Conference on Nonlinear Optics, Novosibirsk, June 1973.22. G. A. Askaryan, V. A. Namiot, M. S. Rabinovich, Sov. Phys.‐JETP Lett. 17, 424 (1973).https://doi.org/SPHJAR
23. F. Winterberg, Proc. 3rd RPI Workshop Conference on Laser/Plasma Interaction, August 1973 (H. Schwarz, ed.) Plenum, New York (1974).
24. Yu. Il’inskii, R. V. Khokhlov, Sov. Phys.‐Uspekhi 16, Jan.–Feb. 1974.https://doi.org/SOPUAP
25. V. I. Goldanskii, S. V. Karyagin, V. A. Namiot, Sov. Phys.‐JETP Lett. 19, 324 (1974).https://doi.org/SPHJAR
26. Yu. Kagan, Sov. Phys.‐JETP Lett. 19, 373 (1974).https://doi.org/SPHJAR
27. R. V. Pound, G. A. Rebka, Jr, Phys. Rev. Lett. 4, 274 (1960); https://doi.org/PRLTAO
B. D. Josephson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 4, 341 (1960).https://doi.org/PRLTAO28. Yu. Kagan, Sov. Phys.‐JETP 47, 366 (1964).https://doi.org/SPHJAR
29. U. Haeberlen, J. S. Waugh, Phys. Rev. 175, 453 (1968).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
30. W. K. Rhim, D. D. Elleman, R. W. Vaughan, J. Chem. Phys. 59, 3740 (1973).https://doi.org/JCPSA6
31. G. Bizina, A. Beda, N. Burgov, A. Davydov, Sov. Phys.‐JETP 18, 973 (1964).https://doi.org/SPHJAR
32. H. G. Dehmelt, Am. J. Phys. 22, 110 (1954).https://doi.org/AJPIAS
33. O. C. Kistner, A. W. Sunyar, Phys. Rev. Lett. 4, 412 (1960).https://doi.org/PRLTAO
34. J. Nuckolls, L. Wood, A. Thiessen, G. Zimmermann, Nature 239, 139 (1972).https://doi.org/NATUAS
35. G. C. Baldwin, Laser Focus, March 1974, page 43.
36. V. I. Goldanskii, Yu. Kagan, V. A. Namiot, Sov. Phys.‐JETP Lett. 18, 34 (1973).https://doi.org/SPHJAR
37. A. C. Melissinos, S. P. Davis, Phys. Rev. 115, 130 (1958).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
38. R. V. Ambartzumian, V. S. Letokhov, IEEE Jour. Quant. Elect. QE‐7, 305 (1974); https://doi.org/IEJQA7
R. V. Ambartzumian, V. S. Letokhov, Appl. Optics 11, 354 (1972).https://doi.org/APOPAI39. V. S. Letokhov, Science 114, 4 (1973).https://doi.org/SCIEAS
40. PHYSICS TODAY, September 1974, page 17.
41. C. A. Mead, Phys. Rev. 143, 990 (1966).https://doi.org/PHRVAO
More about the Authors
G. C. Baldwin. Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y..
R. V. Khokhlov. Professor of Physics, Moscow State University.
