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News from The Macdonald Laboratory

Tracy Tipping
A recent expansion of our Rydberg target atom project here at the Macdonald Laboratory has necessitated the addition of a new laser system. The laser in this new system is a 1.2 watt CW infrared diode. This is not the first Class IV laser we have had here, but the invisible beam is a new challenge to us. The other Class IV laser system at the Macdonald Lab is a copper vapor laser which lases in the visible range. The researchers working with the copper vapor laser found it a comfort to know immediately when an optics element was not properly aligned. The location of the beam from the copper vapor laser was very evident from the eerie yellow-green glow. The new IR diode laser will not be as easy to track and will require greater attention to assure that the beam really is where we think it is. The researchers who are setting up the optics for this laser system are already practicing the fine art of infrared snooping.

In the past, we used the copper vapor laser as a pump laser for less powerful dye lasers. The beams from the dye lasers then went out to the target chamber. The copper vapor laser was completely contained in an interlocked enclosure to avoid exposure to people in the target area. The beam from the new IR laser will be used in the target chamber. So now our Class IV laser enclosure must extend to and include the target chamber. We are in the process of designing a totally enclosed beam transport system for the new IR laser. In essence, we are adding a beamline to the Rydberg target area. This new beamline just happens to be perpendicular to the accelerator beamlines and does not require large magnets to make 90-degree bends.

Although this article is not about a traditional accelerator health physics concern, it does have to do with a radiation safety concern which is becoming more of a part of our daily lives as health physicists. Since I do not consider myself an expert in non-ionizing radiation protection, I am enjoying as a learning experience, the changes in our lab that I described.

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