WO1995034112A2

WO1995034112A2 - Dimer laser, method and apparatus for data transmission, method and apparatus for storing and reading data, method and apparatus for detecting diatomic molecules, and laser projection microscope

Info

Publication number: WO1995034112A2
Application number: PCT/EP1995/002250
Authority: WO
Inventors: Oleg Felixovich Yakushev; Victor Mikhailovich Kaslin
Original assignee: Prima Industries Establishment
Priority date: 1994-06-08
Filing date: 1995-06-08
Publication date: 1995-12-14
Also published as: WO1995034112A3; NL9400934A; AU2790595A

Abstract

Disclosed is a dimer laser (50) which is able to produce a beam of laser light (25) with a spectrum extending over a large part of the visible wavelength range, including a part of the ultraviolet and/or a part of the infrared wavelength range, which spectrum is very rich in equidistant spectral lines. This is achieved in that the pump light (31) used for stimulating the laser emission is not coupled axially but sideways. Further described are a number of examples of uses of a dimer laser (50).

Description

Title: Dimer laser, method and apparatus for data transmission, method and apparatus for storing and reading data, method and apparatus for detecting diatomic molecules, and laser projection microscope.

This invention relates to a dimer laser as described in the preamble of claim 1.

A dimer laser emits light within narrow wavelength ranges which are spaced apart, at least substantially within the visible part of the spectrum. The light emitted by the laser medium along an optical axis strikes one of the mirrors referred to. One of those mirrors is partly transparent and functions as output mirror: the part of the laser light transmitted by this mirror leaves the laser and functions as output beam, while the part reflected by the mirror referred to traverses the laser medium once again. The other mirror substantially reflects the laser light, so that substantially all of the laser light which strikes this mirror is reflected and traverses the laser medium once again. For this purpose, the two mirrors are oriented substantially perpendicularly to the optical axis of the laser.

A dimer laser as known heretofore is able to provide an output beam with only a small number of spectral lines. A main object of the present invention is to provide a dimer laser which is capable of providing an output beam with a considerably increased number of spectral lines.

For stimulating the light emission by the laser medium, the laser medium is irradiated with a pump beam of ultraviolet light. The present invention is based on the insight that the above-mentioned object can be realized by increasing the power irradiated by means of the pump beam.

Heretofore it has been customary to couple the pump beam axially to the laser system. This is meant to say that the pump beam is directed substantially perpendicularly to the second mirror, and is transmitted by this mirror to reach the laser medium.

In such an arrangement, the second mirror has to be designed so as to be transparent to the proper extent to the ultraviolet pump beam and also to reflect the laser light to the proper extent. In practice, this has been found to be difficult to realize, as a result of which a part of the laser light emitted in the direction of the second mirror is lost through transmission and/or during the coupling a part of the power of the ultraviolet pump beam is lost through reflection and/or absorption.

A further object of the invention is to provide a dimer laser with an improved power output . The present invention is further based on the insight that it is relatively simple to make a mirror which reflects a relatively narrow wavelength range and is transparent to the other wavelengths. This implies that it is relatively simple to make a mirror which is substantially transparent to the light emitted by the dimer laser and also substantially reflects the light of the pump beam.

Based on the above-mentioned insights, in a dimer laser according to the present invention, between the laser medium and one of the mirrors referred to, a third mirror is arranged at an angle with the optical axis for coupling the pump beam sideways, this third mirror being so dimensioned that it is substantially transparent to the light emitted by the dimer laser and substantially reflects the light of the pump beam. By coupling the pump beam in such a manner, virtually no pumping power is lost, and also the loss of the laser light emitted in the direction of the second mirror is particularly small or even negligible.

The invention further relates to a method and apparatus for data transmission by means of optical signals. It is known, for the purpose of data transmission, to use modulated light, utilizing a laser as a light source. To avoid disturbance of the data transmission as a result of obstructions of the light path, the transmission medium used is typically an optical fiber. The success of this method of data transmission relies on the increased capacity over the conventional method by means of modulated electrical signals. The invention contemplates a method and apparatus for optical data transmission with a still further increased capacity.

According to the insights known to date, the capacity of an optical data transmission system can only be increased by providing a plurality of optical transmission paths (optical fibers) parallel to each other. However, it is a particular object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for optical data transmission with an increased capacity, without the necessity of providing a plurality of optical fibers parallel to each other. This makes it possible to economize on the costs of optical fibers . This will also make it possible to increase the capacity of existing optical data transmission systems without the necessity of expanding the existing infrastructure of optical fibers.

To realize the objects mentioned, in accordance with the invention, use is made of light at several mutually separate wavelength ranges. The different light beams, which can be regarded as diffent optical transmission channels, can use the same optical fibers without influencing each other.

For this purpose, use can be made of several light sources, each light source being used for generating one beam of light of a predetermined wavelength. However, this requires a considerable investment in light sources. Therefore, according to the invention, the light source used is preferably a dimer laser. As already mentioned, a dimer laser is capable of generating light in several very narrow wavelength ranges which can be properly separated. A particularly suitable laser is the dimer laser improved according to the present invention, which is capable of generating light in approximately twenty narrow wavelength ranges which have approximately the same, relatively great distances relative to each other and which are distributed over a relatively large part of the visible spectrum. As a result, according to the invention a twenty-fold increase of the transmission capacity of an optical fiber is achieved. The invention further relates to a method and an apparatus for storing and reading out data. More specifically, the invention relates to an optical data recording disk having an improved storage capacity. It is known, for the purpose of storing and reading data, to use an optical disk, whose reflection property is locally manipulated for obtaining a reflection pattern which is representative of the stored information. Readout proceeds by scanning the disk with a laser beam and by deriving the stored information from the variations in the intensity of the reflected light .

According to the invention, an optical disk comprises a plurality of recording layers overlying each other, which have been chosen such that the different recording layers are sensitive to light of predetermined, mutually different wavelengths. By a suitable choice of the wavelength of the light with which the disk is read out, one chooses a predetermined one of the layers present on the disk to read the information therefrom. This provides an important advantage in that the amount of data which can be recorded on a single disk is proportional to the number of recording layers on the disk. For instance, when twenty recording layers are provided in overlying arrangement, the disk can contain twenty times as much information as a conventional optical disk.

For the configuration of the reading equipment, different variants are conceivable. Firstly, it is possible to provide several reading devices, each with a laser using a predetermined one of the possible wavelengths. For reading information from a particular recording layer, use is then made of a reading device with a suitable laser associated with the layer in question. In the example mentioned, it is then necessary to provide twenty reading devices to make it possible to read out the entire disk. Although for this purpose use can be made of existing techniques for each reading device as such, requiring only that the laser used be adapted (once) to the wavelength to be used, this variant yet has a drawback in that the whole arrangement is relatively complicated. Another drawback is that it will not be simple to find a laser source for all the necessary wavelengths.

Secondly, it is possible to provide a reading device whose output light is tunable. For that purpose, use can, for instance, be made of a dye laser.

Preferably, however, according to the invention use is made of a reading device with a dimer laser, with the recording layers of the optical disk being adapted to the wavelengths generated by that dimer laser. An important advantage of this is not only that the different recording layers of the disk can be read out utilizing only one device, but especially that those different recording layers of the disk can be read out simultaneously, so that a considerable gain can be achieved with regard to the access time for the disk.

The invention further relates to a method and an apparatus for detecting the presence of particular molecules, in particular diatomic molecules, in a gaseous environment, and for measuring the concentration thereof. The method offered by the invention is particularly suitable for the detection of molecules such as Cs₂, At₂ and I₂. At is an element occurring in the series of radioactive decomposition of uranium, which will form into At₂. The presence of At₂ in the atmosphere is an indication of the amount of uranium in the atmosphere and can be seen as an indicator for the release of radioactive uranium in a nuclear reactor. With some types of nuclear reactors, in the event of leakage, radioactive iodine is liberated which binds in the atmosphere to form I₂. It is already known, for the purpose of determining the occurrence of leakages in a nuclear reactor and the extent of leakage, to determine the presence of these substances by conventional analysis of air samples. An associated problem is that the air samples have to be taken at the site of the possible contamination, which is therefore relatively dangerous work, and that the air samples have to be examined in a laboratory, which requires that the samples be carried to that laboratory, and hence relatively much time is lost between the time of sampling and the time when the analytic results become available.

It will be clear that it is desired, rather, to provide the results of the analysis as fast as possible in order that action can be taken in respect of the process of the nuclear reactor in question as efficiently as possible to minimize the extent of possible radioactive contamination of the environment. It is further desired that as few personnel as possible are exposed to the possible radiation which has been released.

The invention provides a method which enables the determination of the concentration of diatomic molecules in the atmosphere, and with a particularly high sensitivity, under automatic and/or remote control, i.e. without the in situ presence of personnel. The required measuring equipment can be arranged at the location of sampling, and the measuring results can be displayed, for instance on a screen, in a control space located at a distance.

To that end, according to the invention a gaseous medium is used as laser medium in a dimer laser. The laser medium is pumped with light coming from an appropriately chosen source, viz. a source whose light contains a spectral line which can be absorbed by the laser medium. The absorption by the laser medium causes in the laser light an absorption peaK with a line width much smaller than the width of the emission peak in the pump light. The absorption peak is therefore properly recognizable on the emission peak. The amount/concentration of the substance to be examined can be calculated from the depth of the absorption peak. The method according to the invention can be used by having the pump light traverse the laser medium only once. However, this is not ideal, inter alia because then the depth of the absorption peak depends on the length of the laser medium, but also because in that case the speed of the reaction of the measuring device to changing circumstances is relative low. Therefore, the laser medium is preferably arranged between mirrors to increase the effective length of the path of the pump light in the laser medium through multiple reflections, thereby effecting a greater absorption, so that a higher sensitivity is realized.

Hereinafter, the invention will be further clarified through a description of preferred embodiments with reference to the drawing. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 diagrammatically shows a part of the energy diagram of a diatomic molecule to explain the operating principle of a dimer laser; Fig. 2 diagrammatically shows a conventional construction of a dimer laser;

Fig. 3 diagrammatically shows a dimer laser according to the present invention;

Fig. 4 diagrammatically shows the improvement of the pump beam in a dimer laser according to the invention;

Fig. 5 diagrammatically shows an apparatus for data transmission according to the present invention;

Fig. 6 diagrammatically shows a modulating device for use in the apparatus for data transmission of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 diagrammatically shows a receiver for use in the apparatus for data transmission of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 diagrammatically shows another receiver for use in the apparatus for data transmission of Fig. 5;

Fig. 9 diagrammatically shows a variant of the dimer laser shown in Fig. 3, with two UV sources;

Fig. 10 diagrammatically shows a variant for the two UV sources of the dimer laser shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 diagrammatically shows a variant of the receiver shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 12A diagrammatically shows a partial section of an optical disk;

Fig. 12B diagrammatically shows a device for reading the optical disk of Fig. 12A;

Fig. 13A diagrammatically shows an analytic device for diatomic molecules;

Fig. 13B diagrammatically shows an absorption peak on a spectral line of the pump beam of the analytic device shown in Fig. 13A; Fig. 14A diagrammatically shows a laser projection microscope according to the present invention; and

Fig. 14B diagrammatically shows a variant of the laser projection microscope outlined in Fig. 14A. Now the operating principle of a dimer laser will be briefly explained with reference to Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 outlines a part of the energy levels of a diatomic molecule. The relative distance R between the two atoms is plotted along the horizontal axis in arbitrary units and the potential energy U of the molecule is plotted along the vertical axis in arbitrary units. The ground state is designated as X.

By absorption of an energy quant of a magnitude of hv_pump from the pump beam, the molecule attains an excited electron state A which is characterized by the quantum numbers V and j¹, and whose potential energy will be designated as U (V' , j ' ) .

From this excited state, the molecule can return to the ground state while emitting a light quant with energy hv_gen. However, it is not only possible to return to the original state from which the molecule was excited, but the molecule can return to one of several vibration levels (v", j") of the ground state.

As a consequence, the light emitted by the dimer laser will consist of contributions of different discrete values for V_gen, which values depend on the precise heights of the energy levels .v", j") in the ground state X and on the precise value of U(V, j¹) . It will be clear that this height is partly determined by the frequency V_pump of the light in the pump beam.

The relative distances between the vibration levels of the ground state are the same in good approximation. As a consequence, the relative distances between the emission lines in the light emitted by the dimer laser, coming from the transitions from one vibration level of the excited state are the same in good approximation. Hereinafter, the spectrum resulting therefrom will be designated as "comb spectrum". The spectral lines thereof are monochromatic in good approximation: the line width is smaller than 0.01 cm^-1. Fig. 2 shows a known dimer laser 10, comprising a laser medium 11 and two mirrors 12 and 13, arranged on opposite sides of the laser medium 11. At a first end 14, the laser medium 11 emits laser light 22 which strikes the first mirror 12 at right angles. The first mirror 12 is partly transparent to the light 22 emitted by the laser medium 11, so that the first mirror 12 reflects a part (24) of the light 22 and transmits another part (25) . The part 24 of the laser light reflected by the mirror 12 will again traverse the laser medium 11, while the part 25 of the laser light 22 transmitted by the mirror 12 constitutes the output beam of the dimer laser 10. Thus the first mirror 12 functions as output mirror.

At a second end 15, the laser medium 11 emits laser light 23 which strikes the second mirror 13 at right angles. The second mirror 13 substantially reflects the laser light 23 emitted by the laser medium 11, so that substantially all of the laser light 23 is reflected (26) and traverses the laser medium 11 again.

For stimulating the emission in the laser medium 11, the dimer laser 10 comprises a source 30 for supplying a beam 31 of pump light, preferably ultraviolet light, such as a laser. The UV light 31 provided by the source 30 is directed at the second mirror 13, which is transparent to the UV light wavelength used. The transmitted beam 32 functions as pump beam for the laser medium 11.

Thus the second mirror 13 must simultaneously satisfy two design requirements:

A) the second mirror 13 should be properly transparent to the pump light (UV light) 31; B) the second mirror 13 should properly reflect the laser light 23 emitted by the laser medium 11. Because the medium 11 of a dimer laser emits light in spectral lines which are distributed over a relatively large region of the spectrum, it is difficult to satisfy the above- mentioned design requirements. In practice, it has been found that a mirror which properly satisfies design requirement A, poorly satisfies design requirement B, so that too large a part of the laser light 23 emitted by the laser medium 11 is lost through transmission by the second mirror 13. On the other hand, it has been found in practice that a mirror which properly satisfies design requirement B, poorly satisfies design requirement A, so that too large a part of the UV light 31 does not contribute to the pump beam 32. Accordingly, in the setup according to Fig. 2, a compromise has to be looked for, whereby design requirement A is not optimally satisfied and design requirement B is not optimally satisfied, the endeavor being to arrive at such a combination of imperfectness in respect of the design requirements mentioned, that a largest possible power output in the output beam 25 remains .

Fig. 3, where parts equal or comparable to those in Fig. 2 have been designated by the same reference numerals, diagrammatically shows a dimer laser 50 according to the present invention. Between the laser medium 11 and the second mirror 53 a third mirror 51 has been arranged at an angle with the optical axis, this third mirror 51 being so dimensioned that it is substantially transparent to the light 23 emitted by the laser, medium 11 and also substantially reflects the light of the pump beam 31.

The light 23 emitted by the laser medium 11 at the second end 15 passes the third mirror 51 virtually without any loss, and strikes the second mirror 53 at right angles to be reflected to the laser medium 11, the reflected beam 26 passing the third mirror 51 again virtually without any loss. The second mirror 53 can in this case be a simple mirror designed for 100% reflection over the entire spectrum.

The pump beam 31 coming from the light source 30 strikes the third mirror 51 sideways, as viewed with respect to the optical axis, and is virtually completely reflected (52) by the third mirror 51 to the laser medium 11.

In the embodiment shown, the third mirror 51 makes a 45° angle with the optical axis, so that the pump beam 31 is at right angles to the optical axis. Further, in the embodiment shown, a fourth mirror 54 has been arranged between the light source 30 and the third mirror 51 to direct the pump beam 31 from the light source 30 to the third mirror 51; this fourth mirror 54 can be a simple mirror, designed for 100% reflection over the entire spectrum, but at least for UV light.

As appears from the foregoing, the design requirements for the second mirror 53 have been minimized (good reflection over the entire spectrum, i.e. a "common" mirror such as an aluminum layer provided on a substrate) , and the third mirror 51 should satisfy the following two design requirements: C) the third mirror 51 must be properly transparent to the laser light 23 emitted by the laser medium 11; D) the third mirror 51 must properly reflect the pump light (UV light) 31.

In practice it has not been found to be difficult to make a mirror which satisfies these design requirements simultaneously to a proper extent. By way of example, the third mirror 51 can be made in the form of a glass substrate with one or more dielectric layers provided thereon, whose thicknesses and refraction indices have been dimensioned for a good reflection within a relatively narrow wavelength range which includes the wavelength of the pump beam, as will be clear to a skilled person.

Fig. 4 graphically illustrates the improvement which is realized according to the present invention with regard to the pump beam. In Fig. 4 the wavelength λ is plotted along the horizontal axis in arbitrary units, and the intensity (or the spectral power) I (λ) is plotted along the vertical axis in arbitrary units. The spectrum of the pump beam shows a certain distribution around a central wavelength λ_c, the drawing showing the width of this distribution to an exaggerated scale for the sake of clarity. The lower curve represents the intensity distribution over the spectrum of the pump beam 32, while the upper curve represents the intensity distribution over the spectrum of the pump beam 52 as improved in accordance with the invention, using the same light source 30. Further, in Fig. 4 a laser threshold is designated with a horizontal dotted line; laser emission can occur only if the intensity of the spectral line in question exceeds this threshold. The part of the two curves located above said laser 12 threshold is depicted with a relatively thick line for the sake of clarity.

Fig. 4 clearly shows that not only the intensity I (λ_c) of the central wavelength λ_c has been increased, but also that the width of the spectrum of the pump beam has been increased. The importance of this can be appreciated as follows . With reference to Fig. 1 it has been explained that for excitation of a molecule, a light quant with an energy hv_pump is absorbed. Suppose, to simplify the present discussion, that V_pUItlp corresponds with the central wavelength λ_c of the pump beam.

It will then be clear that light of a wavelength λ_d lower than λ_c can in principle excite an electron from a lower vibration level of the ground state and/or to a higher vibration level of the excited state, and that light of a wavelength λ_e higher than λ_c can in principle excite an electron from a higher vibration level of the ground state and/or to a lower vibration level of the excited state. With the known dimer laser 10, however, the pump beam has such a narrow spectrum with such a low intensity at the wavelengths λ_d and λ_e that the excitations referred to, which are in principle possible, do not occur at all or occur only to an extent so slight that the inversion required for the occurrence of the laser effect does not arise to a sufficient extent. By contrast, the wavelengths λ_d and λe in the spectrum of the pump beam 52 improved in accordance with the invention do have sufficient intensity to contribute to stimulated emission.

In the dimer laser 50 according to the present invention, the number of vibration levels in the excited state "filled" by pumping action has thus been increased, while further the number of vibration levels of the ground state "emptied" by pumping action has been increased.

A consequence of all this is that the number of lines in the spectrum of the output beam 25 of the dimer laser 50 according to the present invention has been increased considerably and that the dimer laser 50 has a very rich spectrum. By way of example, in accordance with the principles of the present invention, an S₂ laser was built, using as a light source a XeCl laser of a wavelength of 308 nm. The spectrum of the output beam of this dimer laser contains approximately 600 lines over the range of 314 nm to 600 nm. The emitted light of this laser looks like white light with a slightly green tint to the human eye. As already observed, the distances between successive vibration levels in the ground state are the same in good approximation, as a consequence of which, when one excited vibration level is considered, the transitions to the different possible vibration levels in the ground state result in virtually equidistant spectral lines (comb spectrum) . It is further observed that the distances between successive vibration levels in the excited state are also the same in good approximation; however, these distances differ slightly from those of the ground state. As a consequence of this, when a second excited vibration level is considered, located next to the above-mentioned one excited vibration level, the transitions from this second excited vibration level to the different possible vibration levels in the ground state result in a comb spectrum which is slightly offset relative to- the comb spectrum related to the above-mentioned one excited vibration level.

What is brought about by the above is that, in the example mentioned, the 600 lines referred to are grouped in about twenty groups of about thirty lines each, the relative distance between the lines in each group always being smaller than the relative distance between the line groups . The number of the above groups corresponds with the number of lines of one comb spectrum; the number of lines per group corresponds with the number of comb spectra produced. In other words: because in the dimer laser 50 according to the present invention the number of vibration levels in the excited state "filled" by pumping action has been increased, the number of comb spectra produced has been increased, whilst because the number of vibration levels of the ground state "emptied" by pumping action has been increased, the number of lines per comb spectrum has been increased. 14

Now reference is made to Fig. 5, diagrammatically showing a preferred embodiment of an optical transmission system 60 according to the present invention.

The optical transmission system 60 according to the present invention comprises a transmitting part 61, a transmission part 62 and a receiving part 63.

The transmitting part 61 comprises, in the exemplary embodiment shown, a dimer laser 50 such as described in the foregoing for generating light 25 with a multiplicity of light beams of mutually different wavelengths, for instance twenty, and a modulating device 70. The light beams 25 generated by the dimer laser 50 pass the modulating device 70 which comprises twenty inputs 71 for receiving as many signals to be transferred. Each input corresponds with a predetermined one of the light beams, which is meant to say that the electrical signal which is received at the i-th input 71 of the modulating device 70 is used to modulate the i-th light beam 25.

The modulated light beams 72 are fed to the transmission part 62 to be transported over a particular distance. The transmission part 62 comprises an optical fiber 6 . Optionally, the transmission part 62 comprises amplification stations at predetermined positions to compensate weakening of the light beams 72, as is known per se . Such an amplification station can consist of a receiving part 63 as will be described hereinafter, followed by a transmitting part 61 as described hereinabove.

The receiving part 63 comprises a receiver 80 for receiving the transferred modulated light beams 72, detecting and reconstructing the signal modulated on each light beam, and twenty outputs 85 for providing the demodulated signals.

Now an example of a modulating device 70 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. The modulating device 70 comprises a separating means 73 for separating from each other the individual light beams of the light 25 provided by the dimer laser 50, which individual light beams are provided by the dimer laser with a common path. As illustrated, a prism can be used for this purpose. Each individual light beam 74 is passed, optionally by the intermediacy of further optical directing means, to a single modulator 75, of which the modulating device 70 comprises twenty specimens, but of which only three are shown in the drawing for the sake of simplicity. Each modulator 75 has a signal input 76 which is connected to a corresponding signal input 71 of the modulating device 70, and is adapted for amplitude-modulation of a light beam supplied thereto. For modulation, standard techniques can be used. Accordingly, for the single modulator 75, known modulators can be used, such as are presently used in the art of optical data communication. Since the nature and construction of such a modulator do not constitute a subject of the present invention, and knowledge thereof is not necessary for a proper understanding of the present invention by anyone skilled in the art, these will not be described in further detail .

The modulating device 70 further comprises a combining means 78 to join the modulated individual light beams 77 together again. For this purpose, a second prism can be used. Now examples of a receiver 80 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. In a simple variant embodiment, the receiver 80 firstly comprises a separating means 81 for separating the modulated light beams 72 from each other. This separating means 81 can be comparable with the separating means 73 discussed in the foregoing with reference to Fig. 6. Each individual modulated light beam 82 is passed, optionally by the intermediacy of further optical directing means, to a single detector 83, of which the receiver 80 comprises twenty specimens, but of which only three have been depicted in the drawing for the sake of simplicity. Each detector 83 is adapted for generating at an output 84 thereof an electrical signal which corresponds with the amplitude variations of a light beam fed to that detector 83. The output 84 of the detector 83 is connected to a corresponding one of the outputs 85 of the receiver 80.

For demodulation, standard techniques can be used. Accordingly, for the single detector 83 known detectors can be used, such as those presently used in the art of optical data communication.

According to the present invention, however, a preference is expressed for a receiver 90 of the type as outlined in Fig. 8. Essentially, the preferred receiver 90 according to the invention consists of a multi-layer detector 91, each layer 92 of the detector 91 being adapted for absorbing light of only one of the wavelengths referred to, and each layer 92 of the detector 91 being connected with the corresponding output 85 of the receiver 90. For the sake of simplicity, this principle has been illustrated in the drawing for only three different wavelengths. The first layer 92(1) of the multilayer detector 91 is adapted for absorbing light of a wavelength λl and for transmitting light whose wavelength differs from λl . The light transmitted by the first layer 92(1) accordingly contains all wavelengths except λl . The second layer 92(2) of the multilayer detector 91 is adapted for absorbing light of wavelength λ2 and for transmitting light whose wavelength differs from λ2. Thus, the light striking the third layer 92(3) of the multilayer detector 91 contains all wavelengths except λl and λ2. The third layer 92(3) of the multilayer detector 91 is adapted for absorbing light of a wavelength λ3, and for transmitting light whose wavelength differs from λ3, etc. Thus it is not necessary to provide means for separating the incoming light beams from each other; such separation takes place automatically by virtue of the different absorption characteristics of the different layers.

Through absorption of light of a predetermined wavelength, the conductivity of the relevant layer 92 changes, viz. in accordance with the intensity of the absorbed light. The varying conductivity can be detected in a simple manner, as will be clear to a skilled person, for instance by connecting the layer 92 through contacts 93 to a constant power source 94 and detecting the voltage variations across the layer. The detected voltage variations are representative of the light intensity variations and can thus be supplied as a demodulated output signal. As has already been noted in the foregoing, the exact values of the wavelengths generated by the dimer laser are dependent on the exact value of the wavelength of the pump light used, which is typically ultraviolet : a shift of the wavelength of the pump light will result in a change of the excited vibration level, which will result in a shift of the wavelengths of the light beams generated, because the distance between the vibration levels in the excited state is not exactly the same as the distance between the vibration levels in the ground state . The so-caused shift of the wavelengths of the generated light beams is the same, expressed in frequency, for all light beams . This property can be put to use in different manners in accordance with the invention. Firstly, it is possible to adjust the transmission system to changing properties of different components such as the optical fiber or the detector.

Secondly, it is possible to effect a multiplication of the transmission capacity of the transmission system. Fig. 9 shows an example. The dimer laser 150 comprises two sources 30, 30' for ultraviolet light, of which the wavelengths have been chosen such that the wavelengths of the laser light resulting from the first ultraviolet light beam 31, 52 and the wavelengths of the laser light 25 resulting from the second ultraviolet light beam 31', 52' are located at a relative distance such that they can be properly separated by a detector. The number of wavelength peaks which can be achieved in this manner within a wavelength package is about 30 at a maximum, as has been observed in the foregoing, but the number of detector-distinguishable wavelength peaks that can be achieved within a wavelength package in this manner, depends on the quality of the detector.

Of course, in comparable manner several light sources 30 can be used with one laser medium 11. Instead of using, as illustrated, two (or more) light sources 30, 30' with narrow UV peaks, it is also possible to use a single light source 30 with a broad UV peak, and to provide this source 30 with a selector 33 which is adapted to transmit only light within two or more predetermined wavelength ranges. An example of such a selector 33 is illustrated in Fig. 10 and comprises a separating prism 34, a diaphragm 35 with two or more slits, and a combining prism 36. It is also possible to use a UV source 30 whose light, by contrast, characteristically possesses two or more emission lines.

It will be clear that the receiver described in the foregoing is not simply capable of receiving all transmission channels. According to the concept of the invention, however, it is possible to adapt the receiver in a simple manner to such multiplication of the number of transmission channels, utilizing the fact that the relative distances of the additional laser light lines are substantially equal to the relative distances of the original laser light lines and utilizing the insight that the wavelength sensitivity of the multilayer detector 91 depends on the thickness of the separate layers 92. As is illustrated in Fig. 11, a modified receiver 190 according to the present invention comprises two identical detectors 91, 91', each designed to receive the original laser light lines. The received laser light 72 is split in a beam splitter 191 into two beams 172, 172' of a substantially equal intensity. Of course, the number of detectors and of beams to be supplied by the beam splitter is not limited to two.

A first beam 172 strikes the first detector 91 substantially perpendicularly, as discussed in the foregoing, so that this first detector 91 receives the original laser light lines. A second beam 172' strikes the second detector 91' at a predetermined angle, as a result of which this beam 172' does not pass the layers 92' of this detector 91' perpendicularly but at the angle referred to, so that the thic-kness of the layers 92' seems to have increased in effect . The angle has been chosen such that the second detector 91' receives the additonal laser light lines from the second beam 172' . In practice it is possible to "tune" to a particular set of laser light lines through variation of this angle. In this manner it is also possible to compensate undesired variations in the wavelength of the light emitted by the UV source 30.

The invention further provides the possibility of effecting an encoding of the transferred information in a simple manner, as will be explained below.

As discussed in the foregoing, the light emitted by the dimer laser has a comb spectrum when a pump beam with a single narrow line is used. In the foregoing it has also been explained that when the wavelength of the pump light used changes a little, the entire comb spectrum of the light emitted by the dimer laser will shift a little. Now, when in a method for data transfer as discussed with reference to Fig. 5 the wavelength of the pump light used varies within certain limits, the carrier frequencies of the data transfer channels will vary accordingly. A receiver tuned to a particular data transfer channel can then continue to receive that channel only after a corresponding tuning of the receiver. This renders unauthorized listening-in impossible, at any rate considerably more difficult . An authorized receiver can remain tuned to the channel in question, if the wavelength of the pump light used is varied according to a predetermined protocol which is known with that receiver, or if the transmitter sends data to the receiver about the time and the extent of the variation, for instance through an instruction channel .

To change the wavelength of the pump light used, different techniques are possible. In a first variant embodiment, one (or more) narrow pump lines can be generated from a broad- banded spectrum by means of a separating prism and a diaphragm with one (or more) slits. In such a case, it is possible in a simple manner to change the wavelength of the pump light used, through a slight displacement of the diaphragm and/or a slight rotation of the separating prism. In a second variant embodiment, the pump light can be generated by a tunable (dye) laser: changing the wavelength of the pump light used can then be effected in a simple manner by a slight tuning adjustment of the (dye) laser.

Tuning adjustment of the receiver can be effected in a manner adapted to the specific construction of the receiver in question. In the multilayer detector 91, 91' according to the invention as described in the foregoing, tuning adjustment can be effected in a simple manner by a rotation of the detector over a suitable angle .

Now, a preferred embodiment of a method and an apparatus for storing and reading out data will be discussed with reference to Figs. 12A and 12B.

Fig. 12A diagrammatically shows a section through an optical disk 100, comprising a substrate 101 and a plurality of data recording layers 102, of which only three are depicted in the drawing for the sake of simplicity.

Each data recording layer 102 is designed to substantially reflect light within a predetermined, narrow wavelength range. The wavelength ranges associated with the different data recording layers are mutally different and preferably correspond with the emission line regions of a dimer laser. Further, each data recording layer 102 is designed to be substantially transparent to light within the wavelength ranges associated with the other data recording layers. Thus, the first data recording layer 102 (1) of the optical disk 100 is adapted to reflect light of wavelength λl of a dimer laser 50 according to the invention and to transmit light whose wavelength is different from λl . The light transmitted by the first data recording layer 102(1) accordingly contains all wavelengths except λl . The second data recording layer 102(2) of the optical disk 100 is adapted to reflect light of wavelength λ2 and to transmit light whose wavelength is different from λ2. Thus the light striking the third data recording layer 102(3) of the optical disk 100 contains all wavelengths except λl and λ2. The third data recording layer 102 (3) of the optical disk 100 is adapted to reflect light of wavelength λ3 and to transmit light whose wavelength differs from λ3, etc. It is observed that in the drawing the data recording layers 102 are depicted as a single layer and that the light rays are drawn as reflecting at the surface of the data recording layer 102 in question. However, within the scope of the present invention, it is quite possible for a data recording layer to be made as a multiplicity of sublayers cooperating towards reflection of the light of a suitable wavelength.

It is further observed that the fabrication of a layer which is reflective in a relatively small wavelength range and transparent outside it, is considered standard art and will not be described in detail here. It is believed that a person of averge skill in this field of the art who merely uses his professional knowledge can design a suitable layer based on the wavelength to be reflected.

Further, Fig. 12B diagrammatically shows a device 110 for reading out the information recorded on the optical disk 100. The readout device 110 comprises a dimer laser 50 as described with reference to Fig. 3; optical means 111 for directing the light 25 coming from the dimer laser 50 to the optical disk 100; optical means 112 to direct the light 113 reflected by the optical disk 100 to a receiver 114; and means 115 for rotating the optical disk 100 relative to the laser beam 25. The optical directing means 111, the optical directing means 112 and the rotating means 115 can be identical to or comparable with the means conventionally used for these purposes, as will be clear to a skilled person. Accordingly, a further discussion thereof for a proper understanding of the present invention is not necessary. The receiver 114 can be identical to the receiver 90 discussed in the foregoing with reference to Fig. 8 and is accordingly illustrated as comprising a detector 91. Therefore a further discussion thereof is now considered unnecessary. Hereinafter it will be described, by way of example, how the readout of the information recorded in the second recording layer 102(2) takes place. It is noted here that the readout of the information recorded in the other recording 22 layers takes place in a comparable manner, though at different wavelengths, as will be clear to a person skilled in the art.

During operation of the readout device 110, the optical disk 100 is rotated by the rotating means 115, which comprise a rotary table 116 and a suitably driven motor 117, so that the light beam 25 coming from the dimer laser 50 scans the disk 100. The light in the beam 25 contains a spectral line of wavelength λ2. The light of wavelength λ2 passes the first recording layer 102(1) virtually unhindered, is reflected by the second recording layer 102(2), again passes the first recording layer 102(1) unhindered, and finally reaches the detector 91, where it will be absorbed in the second detection layer 92(2) (see Fig. 8) . As long as the second recording layer 102(2) is reflective, the resistance of the second detection layer 92 (2) as influenced by the absorbed light retains a first predetermined value, so that an output voltage associated with this layer has a first predetermined voltage value .

If at a position P the reflective capacity of the second recording layer 102(2) has been locally affected, for instance because the second recording layer 102 (2) has locally been removed entirely, then, when the laser ray 25 strikes the disk 100 at position P, the light of wavelength λ2 will not be reflected, so that the second detecting layer 92(2; absorbs no light, so that the resistance thereof has a second predetermined value and the layer-associated output voltage at an output of the receiver 114 (comparable with the output 85(2) of the receiver 90 as discussed with reference to Fig. 8) has a second predetermined voltage value. The process described does not affect the course of rays at other wavelengths and accordingly leaves the readout of the other recording layers unaffected. Similarly, the process described is not affected by the course of rays at other wavelengths . It will now be clear to those skilled in the art that a pattern of reflection disturbances provided in the second recording layer 102(2) will lead to a corresponding pattern of output voltage variations of the second detecting layer 92(2) . Thus, information stored (in otherwise known manner) in the optical disk 100 as a pattern of reflection disturbances of the second recording layer 102(2) can be read out in the above-described manner. Since, as has been mentioned, the readout of the other recording layers is left unaffected, patterns in the other layers can be read out simultaneously, and the receiver 114 provides at its outputs (not shown for simplicity) , in parallel, (for instance) twenty output signals respectively corresponding with the data stored in the (for instance) twenty recording layers 102 of the optical disk 100.

It will be clear, incidentally, that the number of recording layers and the number of detector layers will be matched and related to the number of useful spectral lines in the light generated by the dimer laser.

Now, reference is made to Fig. 13A, diagrammatically depicting a device 120 for detecting the presence of particular diatomic molecules in a gaseous environment . By way of example, this device 120 has been designed for measuring the concentration of I₂ in the atmosphere near a nuclear plant. The chief components of the preferred device 120 are a dimer laser 121 and a spectrum analyzer 122, which receives the light that has traversed the laser medium. The dimer laser 121 can be identical to the dimer laser 50 which has been discussed in the foregoing with reference to Fig. 3, with the understanding that the laser medium 11 contains a sample of the atmosphere to be examined. Associated with the spectrum analyzer 122 is a calculating device 123, for instance a computer, which can be a part of the spectrum analyzer 122, and which is adapted to display measuring results on a display device such as a printer or a screen 124. Normally, the dimer laser 121 and the spectrum analyzer 122 are arranged at the location of the atmosphere to be examined, i.e. near a nuclear plant, and the screen 124 is arranged in a control space located at a safe distance therefrom. The calculating device 123 and the screen 124 can communicate with each other by means of a simple signal path 125, for instance a telephone connection. Through the telephone connection the attendant personnel can, if desired, transmit control instructions to the laser 121 and/or the spectrum analyzer 122 and/or the calculating device 123. The dimer laser 121 comprises a light source 126 whose light 127 contains a spectral line which can be absorbed by the substance to be detected, to function as pump beam. It will be clear that the precise wavelength of such a line, and hence the type of the light source to be used, depends on the substance to be detected. In the example presently at hand, intended for detecting I₂, a suitable choice is a copper vapor laser, whose emitted light has an emission line at about 510.6 nm. If it is not easy to find a suitable light source for a substance to be examined, an tunable (dye) laser can be used as an alternative, as will be clear to a person of ordinary skill in the art .

Fig. 13B shows a part of the spectrum of the output light beam 128 of the dimer laser 121. In this case, the attention is drawn to that part of the spectrum which comprises the light 127 of the light source 126. After passage of the laser medium 11, there is superposed on that spectrum part an absorption peak whose line width is much smaller than the width of the emission peak in the pump light 127. In the example discussed, the absorption line of I₂, at about 510.6 nm, has a line width about a factor of 10 smaller than that of the emission line of the copper vapor laser.

The depth D of the absorption peak is representative of the concentration of I₂ in the air sample to be examined. The calculation thereof can be carried out automatically by the computer 123 associated with the optical spectrum analyzer 122.

This technique as proposed by the invention is particularly accurate. In illustration thereof, it is noted, firstly, that I_2. although it can be indicative of the occurrence of a leak in a nuclear plant, is a substance which also occurs in nature, albeit in particularly low concentrations. It will be clear that, as such, the detection of I₂ in a concentration equivalent to the concentration occurring in nature need not be indicative of the occurrence of a leak in a nuclear plant. Conversely, even when the measured concentration of I₂' in absolute terms is lower than the concentration occurring in nature, an increase of that concentration can be indicative of the occurrence of a leak in a nuclear plant. It is therefore desirable to be able to measure the concentration as accurately as possible, and to have the results available as soon as possible. This has now become possible with the method proposed by the invention: the substance to be analyzed can be demonstrated in concentrations 100 to 1000 times lower than the concentrations now allowed, and the measuring results are available virtually instantaneously.

Another possible use of the dimer laser 50 according to the present invention pertains to the study of dispersion properties of fast-proceeding physical, chemical and/or biological processes in a broad spectrum range, including ultraviolet and infrared. Heretofore dispersion measurements were performed by means of laser light at one predetermined wavelength. Of course, the consequence of this is that the measuring data become available only at that one wavelength. When it is desired to obtain measuring data at several wavelengths, for instance to obtain a characteristic as a function of the wavelength, then the processes to be studied have to be repeated, and the measurements have to be repeated at different wavelengths . On the one hand, the fact that the processes and the measurements have to be repeated various times is a disadvantage in itself. An associated disadvantage of principle is moreover that the processes can never be reproduced exactly. It is therefore difficult to compare measuring data which have been obtained at different wavelengths .

These disadvantages are overcome in accordance with the invention in that, when using a dimer laser as a light source, the measuring data are obtained simultaneously at several wavelengths distributed over a large part of the spectrum, and so, by definition, always come from the same process. The invention further relates to a laser projection microscope with which it is possible to display dynamic images of (for instance live) micro-o jects in virtually "natural" colors on large display screens. The principle of such a laser projection microscope 130 will be explained with reference to Fig. 14A. In a laser medium 131, which may be comparable with the laser medium 11 described in the foregoing, relatively weak laser radiation 133 arises at the the first end 132, which radiation is converged towards the object 135 to be viewed by means of a lens 134. By way of the same optical path, the light 136 reflected by the object 135, thus being representative of the shape of that object, returns to the laser medium 131 where the intensity thereof is amplified by a multiple through laser action. By virtue of the fact that a dimer laser according to the invention has a particularly high gain factor, up to as much as 1 cm^-1, the laser can, in this case, be operated without the mirrors designated by 12 and 53 in Fig. 3.

The amplified reflection light 136 leaves (138) the laser medium 11 at a second end 137. whereafter it is projected onto a screen 140 by means of a second lens 139. The image of the object 135 thus formed is enlarged ten thousands of times, particularly light-strong and particularly rich in color.

One possible use of the laser projection microscope 130 according to the present invention pertains to the field of education and/or demonstrations for a large audience.

Another possible use of the laser projection microscope 130 according to the present invention pertains to the production of, for instance, microelectronics, and provides the possiblity of a good visual check during the machining of small component parts . The present invention provides the possibility of machining an object at a first wavelength which is properly absorbed by that object and simultaneously viewing the result of the machining process at a second wavelength which is properly reflected by that object .

Yet another use of the laser projection microscope 130 according to the present invention is intended for private use, at least for a relatively small public. In this use, the projected image can be appreciated because of its decorative effect or because of the calming effect it exerts on an observer when watching the projected image for a prolonged time (comparable with the calming effect of flames in a fireplace) .

Fig. 14B illustrates a variant of the laser projection microscope 130 outlined in Fig. 14A. In this variant the relatively weak laser radiation 133 is directed through a wavelength selector 141 to the object 135 to be viewed. The wavelength selector 141 can comprise, for instance, a rotatably arranged mirror 142 and a rotatably arranged diffraction grating 143 or a rotatably arranged prism. By setting that mirror and that diffraction grating or prism of the wavelength selector 141 in a suitable position, the object 135 to be viewed can be illuminated with a suitable selected wavelength.

It will be clear to a person of ordinary skill in the art that it is possible to change or modify the embodiments of the invention as shown, without departing from the inventive concept of the invention or the scope of protection thereof. Thus, it is for instance possible to use the detection method for the purpose of determining the presence of substances other than diatomic substances, if those substances can function as dimer laser medium.

Claims

1. A dimer laser (50; 150) comprising a laser medium (11) and two mirrors (12, 53) arranged on opposite sides of the laser medium, as well as a source (30) for providing an optical pump beam (31) ; characterized in that between the laser medium (11) and one of said mirrors (53) a third mirror (51) is arranged at an angle with the optical axis for coupling the pump beam (31) sideways, said third mirror (51) being so dimensioned that it is substantially transparent to the light emitted by the laser medium (11) and substantially reflects the light of the pump beam (31) .

2. A dimer laser according to claim 1, wherein the third mirror (51) is made in the form of a glass substrate having thereon one or more dielectric layers whose thicknesses and refractive indices are dimensioned for a good reflection within a relatively narrow wavelength range comprising the wavelength of the pump beam (31) .

3. A dimer laser according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said one mirror (53) is a simple mirror designed for 100% reflection.

. A dimer laser according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the light produced contains hundreds of spectral lines distributed over a large part of the spectrum, preferably including a part of the ultraviolet and/or a part of the infrared.

5. A dimer laser according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the light source is adapted for generating two or more pump beams of mutually different wavelengths.

6. A dimer laser according to claim 5, comprising two or more different light sources (30, 30') each providing a pump beam (31, 31') with light in mutually different, relatively 2 9 narrow wavelength ranges, and further comprising optical means (51, 51') for combining the different pump beams (31) and (31') .

7. A dimer laser according to claim 5, comprising a single light source (30) which provides a pump beam (31) with light in a relatively broad wavelength range, and further comprising a selector (33; 34, 35, 36) for selecting two or more relatively narrow wavelength ranges from the relatively broad spectrum of the pump beam (31) .

8. A dimer laser according to claim 5, comprising a signal light source of a type where the spectrum of the output light characteristically possesses two or more relatively narrow emission lines.

9. A method for transferring data by means of light, wherein a plurality of signals are transferred parallel through an at least partly common path by using light at a plurality of mutually separate wavelength ranges.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the different light beams of mutually different wavelengths are generated by means of a dimer laser according to any one of claims 1-8.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the transfer is coded by changing the wavelengths of the separate light beams through a change of the wavelength of the pump light used.

12. An optical transmitter (61), comprising: a light source (50) adapted for generating a multiplicity of light beams (25) ; and a modulating device (70) comprising a multiplicity of inputs (71) for receiving electrical signals, said modulating device (70) being adapted for receiving said multiplicity of light beams (25) , modulating each of said light beams in accordance with the signal received at a respective input (71) , and providing a multiplicity of modulated light beams (72) .

13. An optical transmitter according to claim 12, wherein the light source (50) is a dimer laser according to any one of claims 1-8.

14. An optical transmitter according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the modulating device (70) comprises: a separating element (73) , for instance a prism, for spatially separating the individual light beams (25) ; a multiplicity of single modulators (75) , each of said single modulators (75) being coupled with a respective input of the inputs (71) of the modulating device (70) and being adapted for receiving and modulating a respective light beam of the individual light beams (25) ; and a combining element (78) , for instance a prism, for spatially combining the light beams (77) modulated by the single modulators (75) .

15. An optical receiver (80; 90) adapted for receiving a multiplicity of modulated light beams (72) , for deriving therefrom the information present in each individual light beam (72), and for providing the recovered information as an electrical output signal at a respective output of the multiplicity of outputs (85) .

16. An optical receiver (80) according to claim 15, comprising: a separating element (81) , for instance a prism, for spatially separating the combined modulated light beams (72) to form individual modulated light beams (82) ; and a multiplicity of single detectors (83), each of said single detectors (83) being coupled with a respective output of the outputs (85) of the receiver (80) and being adapted for receiving a respective light beam of the individual modulated light beams (82) and detecting the information present therein. 31

17. An optical receiver (90) according to claim 15, comprising: a multilayer detector (91) comprising a multiplicity of superposed layers (92), each layer (92) of the detector (91) being adapted for absorbing light within one predetermined, relatively narrow wavelength range and for transmitting light outside that wavelength range, the wavelength ranges associated with the different layers (92) of the detector (91) being mutually different, and each layer (92) of the detector (91) being connected with a corresponding output (85) of the receiver (90) .

18. An optical data transmission system (60), comprising: a transmitting part (61) for transmitting a multiplicity of optical signals representing the data to be transferred; a common transmission part (62) for said multiplicity of optical signals; and a receiving part (63) for receiving said multiplicity of optical signals and recovering therefrom the transferred data.

19. An optical data transmission system according to claim 18, wherein the transmitting part (61) comprises an optical transmitter according to any one of claims 12-14.

20. An optical data transmission system according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the transmission part (62) comprises an optical fiber (64) .

21. An optical data transmission system according to any one of claims 18-20, wherein the receiving part (63) comprises a receiver according to any one of claims 15-17.

22. An optical data transmission system according to claim 21, wherein the receiving part (63) comprises two or more substantially identical detectors (91, 91'), as well as a beam splitter (191) for splitting the received light beam (72) in two or more light beams (172, 172'), and wherein each of the light beams (172, 172') provided by the beam splitter (191) impinges on a respective detector of the detectors (91, 91') at a predetermined angle.

23. A method for storing data on a data recording means comprising a multiplicity of superposed recording layers, each recording layer being reflective for a predetermined wavelength, the data being recorded in the form of a pattern of disturbances in that reflection property.

24. A data recording means (100), comprising a substrate (101) having applied thereto a multiplicity of superposed recording layers (102), each of said recording layers (102) being substantially reflective for light within a predetermined relatively narrow wavelength range, the wavelength ranges associated with the different recording layers (102) being mutually different, and each of said recording layers (102) being substantially transparent to the other wavelength ranges not associated with that recording layer (102) .

25. A device (110) for reading out the information recorded on a data recording means (100) according to claim 24, comprising: a light source (50) adapted for generating a multiplicity of light beams (25) ; optical directing means (111) for directing the light stemming from the light source (50) to the data recording means (100); optical directing means (112) for directing the light (113) reflected by the data recording means (100) to a receiver (114); and driving means (115) for displacing the data recording means (100) relative to the light beam (25) .

26. A readout device according to claim 25, wherein the light source (50) is a tunable laser.

27. A readout device according to claim 25, wherein the light source (50) is a dimer laser according to any one of claims 1-8.

28. A readout device according to any one of claims 25-27, wherein the receiver (114) comprises a receiver according to any one of claims 15-17.

29. A method for detecting the presence of diatomic molecules in a gaseous environment, wherein a gaseous sample is used as a laser medium in a dimer laser, wherein the laser medium is pumped with a spectral line absorbable by the laser medium, wherein the pump light is examined after passing the laser medium, and wherein the concentration of said diatomic molecules is calculated from the depth of the absorption peak superposed on said spectral line.

30. A method according to claim 29, wherein the measuring results, for the benefit of the controlling personnel, are directly displayed in a control space located at a distance from the laser medium.

31. A device (120) for detecting the presence of diatomic molecules in a gaseous environment, comprising: a dimer laser (50; 121) comprising a suitably chosen pump light source (126) whose pump light (127) contains a spectral line absorbable by the diatomic molecules to be detected; a spectrum analyzer (122) for receiving and analyzing the pump light (128) leaving the dimer laser (121); a calculating device (123) associated with the spectrum analyzer (122), said calculating device (123) being adapted for calculating the concentration of the diatomic molecules from data, provided by the spectrum analyzer (122), with regard to the absorption peak caused by the diatomic molecules to be detected; and a display device (124) adapted to be coupled with the calculating device (123) for displaying the results provided by the calculating device (123) .

32. A laser projection microscope (130), comprising: a dimer laser medium (11; 131); a first lens (134) for converging laser light (133) emitted at a first end (132) of the laser medium (131) to an object (135) to be considered, and for directing light (136) reflected by that object (135) to the laser medium (131); a second lens (139) for receiving amplified reflection light (138) emitted at a second end (137) of the laser medium (131) and for projecting same on a screen (140) .

33. A laser projection microscope according to claim 32, wherein a wavelength selector (141) is arranged between the first end (132) and the object (135) to be considered, in order to illuminate the object (135) to be considered with a suitable selected wavelength.

34. A laser projection microscope according to claim 33, wherein the wavelength selector (141) comprises a rotatably arranged mirror (142) and a rotatably arranged diffraction grating (143) or a rotatably arranged prism.

35. A method for treating objects, wherein by means of a laser projection microscope according to any one of claims 32-34 the object is treated at a first wavelength, which is well absorbed by that object and simultaneously the result of the treating process is viewed at a second wavelength, which is well reflected by that object .

36. A method for studying a physical, chemical and/or biological process in a wide spectrum range, in order to determine the characteristic of a particular process parameter as a function of the wavelength, wherein use is made of a dimer laser as a light source in order to obtain the desired data simultaneously.