co2 laser - an overall picture of my system
mirror mount 1 - shows the basic mirror mount system on the output
coupler side, with the ceramic standoffs on the adjustment screws
providing the HV insulation. I am in the process of converting the
acrylic electrode mount to a ceramic standoff and aluminum design to
eliminate any concerns of modest temperatures of the electrode causing
distortion of the mirror mount.
vacuum port 1 - shows the total reflector side, with a view of the
vacuum port on the back of the electrode.
lens on - shows the lens mount I made that can be slipped in and out of
the output beam aperture.
nofocus - shows the unfocussed, ~1/2" diameter beam heating the brick
nicely
nearfocus - shows the effect of inserting a 7" focal length lens, and
bringing the brick to about 2" from the focal point. Notice the plume
of smoke coming from the brick. Ah, I love the smell of decomposing
brick in the evening. I couldn't bring the brick to the focal point,
as things get very pyrotechnic and I was worried about spattering my
lens.
laserlight spot 1 - this shows how bright that incandescent spot of
brick really was. The orange glow on the bench is coming from the
incandescent spot.
brick vs laser - the brick lost. The white streak you see is a deposit
of decomposed brick smoke.
brick and pops - shows more brick contusions, and some samples of
popsicle sticks that were waved through the focal point of the 7" FL
lens. If I go right through the focal point, the ejected gas stream is
so powerful that the wood does not catch on fire. I get an incandescent
white spot, and it makes a nice 120Hz buzzing noise from the laser
pulsations.
goldcoat - this shows a test section of plasma tube that I coated on the
inside with gold. I happened to have some 2mil tungsten wire at work
that is coated with 3-5% high purity gold. When evaporated onto the
inside of a 12mm id tube, it results in about 50 Angstroms of gold.
This is just about right to get that nice blue gold film mentioned in
the gold catalyst patent. I compared this test section with a
non-flowing laser mix discharge to an uncoated one, and it did seem that
the plasma was significantly more pink. I will now set up a system to
coat the entire 80cm length of my plasma tube. The wire is expensive,
~$20/meter, but it saves so much work it probably is worth it. If it
works, the reduction in gas usage, even if I can't make a sealed-off
version, will make it worth while. I'll keep you posted on results.
Mark
Thanks, Mark for the nice information.
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