Patent ID: 7492805
Filing Date: 2009-02-17
Classification: H01S

Abstract:
1. A spherical laser apparatus comprising: a first generally spherical body, said first body comprising a generally spherical vessel having an interior cavity and a semi-reflective surface for optical feedback, said first body including at least one amplifying medium being disposed in the interior cavity for generating photons upon excitation; a second generally spherical body having a reflective surface and a radius smaller than a radius of the first body, wherein the first and second bodies are generally concentrically positioned to form a generally spherical, concentric cavity therebetween, said at least one amplifying medium being disposed in the concentric cavity; an excitation device cooperative with at least one of the first body and the second body for controllable excitation of said at least one amplifying medium, wherein the first body is configured to radially emit coherent light when the excitation device is controlled to excite the at least one amplifying medium to meet lasing threshold conditions, the excitation device being configured for application of an electric field through at least a portion of the concentric cavity, wherein the at least one amplifying medium includes at least one electrically excitable amplifying medium; the excitation device including at least one voltage source, and further including first and second electrodes disposed in the concentric cavity and electrically connected to the at least one voltage source; the first electrode including one of the reflective surface of the second body and a first electrical contact attached to the second body; the second electrode including one of the semi-reflective surface of the first body and a second electrical contact attached to the first body; the first and second electrical contacts each including one of a conductive mesh and at least one electrically conductive coating, the at least one electrically conductive coating being at least semi-transparent; and a mirror device positioned external to the first generally spherical body for collecting at least a portion of the coherent light emitted by the first generally spherical body, wherein the mirror device is one of (i) a parabolic mirror device for columnated collection of said at least a portion of the coherent light emitted by the first body and (ii) an ellipsoidal mirror device, said first body being positioned at a first focal point of the ellipsoidal mirror device for imaging said at least a portion of the coherent light emitted by the first body at a second focal point of the ellipsoidal mirror device.