Very high average power 1.6-/spl mu/m nuclear-pumped laser for space propulsion

It is proposed that multiple sub-critical cylindrical-geometry nuclear-pumped laser (NPL) arrays, with longitudinal cooing flow, driven by pulsed reactors at low duty cycle (100 ms pulses at 1 Hz). He did not discuss the effects of pump intensity and solid-state laser (SSL) pulse rate on SSL efficiency or pump intensity on SSL cooling, which is very important at higher duty cycle. A 200-MW CW module for up-conversion pumping Pr/sup +3/:LaCl/sub 3/ is discussed in a companion paper.