Lens system with multiple focal lines
US5991082A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 21, 1997 |
| Grant date | Nov 23, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 21, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B27/126
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Lens systems are disclosed having multiple focal lines and that are operable to form multiple narrow superimposable focal lines. The focal lines typically have linewidths of .ltoreq. approximately 10 .mu.m, formed from an incident light flux from a laser. The superimposed focal lines can have sufficient energy density to serve as a pumping-laser source for an X-ray laser. The lens systems comprise, axially from the incident light side, a wave-surface splitter and a focusing system. The wave-surface splitter splits the wave surface of the incident light into subfluxes. The focusing system focuses the subfluxes into respective linear focal lines that can be superimposed to form a combined focal line having very high energy density. The wave-surface splitter is preferably a prism having multiple facets with respective prism angles; the focusing system preferably comprises multiple cylindrical lenses each having a generation line perpendicular to the ridge lines separating the facets of the prism.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.