Abstract
Space-based lasers have been considered for such applications as power beaming to remote receiver spacecraft requiring onboard electrical power and propulsion. For large power requirements or many receiver spacecraft, such a system may be more cost effective than present day solar photovoltaic power systems. One attractive solar- pumped laser candidate is the iodine laser system. The lasing wavelength of 1.3 pm is good for beam propagation in space, and cw lasing has routinely been achieved using Hg lamp sources. For solar- pumped iodine lasers the best lasant to date is C3F7I, which absorbs incident solar light between 250 and 300 nm.
© 1984 Optical Society of America
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