Heterodyne laser ranging system

摘要

A heterodyne laser ranging system is disclosed which provides a waveguide housing which includes a first and second gas laser. The first laser is a low pressure laser while the second laser is a high pressure laser. These two lasers formed in the waveguide housing have their longitudinal axis in optical alignment. In the preferred embodiment, the second high pressure gas laser is a transversely excited atmospheric (TEA) laser. The first low pressure gas laser produces two outputs, one of the outputs is a low level local oscillator signal while the second output is transmitted as an input to the high pressure laser. The second high pressure laser builds up from the injected signal from the low pressure laser which results in a high pressure laser pulse output that has the frequency stability of the low pressure laser while maintaining the high peak power output available from a transversely pumped waveguide laser. The exitation of the low pressure laser continues throughout the length of time necessary to receive reflected energy from a target. The reflected energy from the target as well as the local oscillator output from the low pressure laser impinges on a detector which is utilized for heterodyne detection.