1. A cooling material which comprises particles that are arranged for generation of surface plasmon resonances having a wavelength or wavelength range within an atmospheric window wavelength range in which the atmosphere of the earth has a greatly reduced average absorption and emission compared with the average absorption and emission in an adjacent wavelength range, whereby the cooling material is arranged for emission of thermal radiation associated with the generated surface plasmon resonances and absorption of radiation originating from the atmosphere is greatly reduced.
2. The cooling material of claim 1 wherein the atmospheric window wavelength range includes a minimum of the average absorption of the atmosphere of the earth.
3. The cooling material of claim 1 wherein the particles are arranged so that at least some of the resonant surface plasmons have a wavelength within the wavelength range from 3-5 \u03bcm andor 7.9-13 \u03bcm.
4. The cooling material of claim 1 wherein the particles are arranged so that the majority of the resonant surface plasmons have a wavelength within the wavelength range from 3-5 \u03bcm andor 7.9-13 \u03bcm.
5. The cooling material of claim 1 wherein the cooling material is arranged to reflect at least some incident radiation.
6. The cooling material of claim 1 comprising a layer or foil that comprises a component material that is substantially transmissive for a wavelength range inside and outside the atmospheric window wavelength range.
7. The cooling material of claim 6 wherein the layer or foil comprises a polymeric material.
8. The cooling material of claim 7 wherein the particles are embedded in the polymeric material.
9. The cooling material of claim 7 wherein the particles are positioned adjacent the polymeric material.
10. The cooling material of claim 1 wherein the particles have a size that is selected so that the particles have resonant enhancement of surface plasmon absorption within the atmospheric window wavelength range.
11. The cooling material of claim 1 wherein the particles have a shape that is selected so that the particles have resonant enhancement of surface plasmon absorption within the atmospheric window wavelength range.
12. The cooling material of claim 1 wherein the particles have a diameter within the range of 10-100 nm.
13. The cooling material of claim 1 wherein the particles have a diameter of approximately 50 nm.
14. The cooling material of claim 1 wherein the particles have a diameter of less than 50 nm.
15. The cooling material of claim 1 wherein the particles comprise SiC.
16. A method of cooling a material, the cooling material comprising particles, the method comprising:
generating surface plasmons in the particles, the surface plasmons having a resonant enhancement at a wavelength or wavelength range within an atmospheric window wavelength range in which the atmosphere of the earth has low or negligible average absorption and emission compared with the average absorption and emission in an adjacent wavelength range; and
emitting at least a portion of the energy associated with the resonant surface plasmons from the particles in form of radiation having a wavelength within the atmospheric window wavelength range.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the atmospheric window wavelength range includes a minimum of the average absorption of the atmosphere of the earth.
18. The cooling material of claim 16 wherein the particles are arranged so that at least some of the resonant surface plasmons have a wavelength within the wavelength range from 3-5 \u03bcm andor 7.9-13 \u03bcm.
19. The cooling material of claim 16 wherein the particles are arranged so that the majority of the resonant surface plasmons have a wavelength within the wavelength range from 3-5 \u03bcm andor 7.9-13 \u03bcm.
20. The method of claim 16 also comprising the step of reflecting radiation having a wavelength within andor outside the atmospheric window wavelength range.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A light source comprising:
a) a passively Q-switched laser for delivering a pulsed primary beam at a primary wavelength;
b) a fiber amplifier for receiving said primary beam and amplifying said primary beam to produce a pulsed intermediate beam of intermediate pulses at said primary wavelength, said intermediate pulses having a format calibrated for a predetermined frequency conversion efficiency; and
C) a nonlinear element for frequency converting said pulsed intermediate beam in a single pass at said predetermined frequency conversion efficiency to produce a pulsed output beam at an output wavelength.
2. The light source of claim 1, wherein said primary wavelength ranges from 860 nm to 1100 nm.
3. The light source of claim 1, wherein said output wavelength ranges from 430 nm to 550 nm.
4. The light source of claim 1, wherein said fiber amplifier is a cladding-pumped amplifier.
5. The light source of claim 4, wherein said cladding-pumped amplifier has a predetermined core section and a predetermined cladding section.
6. The light source of claim 4, wherein said cladding-pumped amplifier has a length of less than 2 m.
7. The light source of claim 1, wherein said passively Q-switched laser comprises a saturable absorber Q-switch.
8. The light source of claim 7, wherein said saturable absorber Q-switch is set such that said pulsed primary beam comprises primary pulses with a duty cycle ranging from 0.01% to 1%.
9. The light source of claim 7, wherein said saturable absorber Q-switch is set such that said pulsed primary beam comprises primary pulses having a pulse width and having an interpulse separation of at least 100 times said pulse width.
10. The light source of claim 7, wherein said saturable absorber Q-switch is set to operate said passively Q-switched laser at a primary pulse repetition rate of at least 100 kHz.
11. The light source of claim 1, wherein said nonlinear element comprises at least one nonlinear optical crystal.
12. The light source of claim 11, wherein said at least one nonlinear optical crystal comprises a borate.
13. The light source of claim 12, wherein said borate is selected from the group consisting of LBO and BBO.
14. The light source of claim 1, wherein said predetermined conversion efficiency is at least 10%.
15. The light source of claim 14, wherein said predetermined conversion efficiency is about 50%.
16. A display system having a light source comprising:
a) a passively Q-switched laser for delivering a pulsed primary beam at a primary wavelength;
b) a fiber amplifier for receiving said primary beam and amplifying said primary beam to produce a pulsed intermediate beam with intermediate pulses at said primary wavelength said intermediate pulses having a format corresponding to a predetermined frequency conversion efficiency; and
c) a nonlinear element for frequency converting said pulsed intermediate beam in a single pass at said predetermined conversion efficiency to produce a pulsed output beam at an output wavelength.
17. The display system of claim 16, further comprising:
a) a plurality of display pixels being refreshed at a refresh rate;
b) a synchronizing mechanism for synchronizing output pulses of said pulsed output beam with said refresh rate.
18. The display system of claim 17, wherein said synchronizing mechanism synchronizes said pulses at an integer multiple of said refresh rate.
19. The display system of claim 16, wherein said primary wavelength ranges from 860 nm to 1100 nm.
20. The display system of claim 16, wherein said output wavelength ranges from 430 nm to 550 nm.
21. The display system of claim 16, wherein said fiber amplifier is a cladding-pumped amplifier.
22. The display system of claim 21, wherein said cladding-pumped amplifier has a predetermined core section and a predetermined cladding section.
23. The display system of claim 21, wherein said cladding-pumped amplifier has a length of less than 2 m.
24. The display system of claim 16, wherein said passively Q-switched laser comprises a saturable absorber Q-switch.
25. The display system of claim 24, wherein said saturable absorber Q-switch is set such that said pulsed primary beam comprises primary pulses with a duty cycle ranging from 0.01% to 1%.
26. The display system of claim 24, wherein said saturable absorber Q-switch is set such that said pulsed primary beam comprises primary pulses having a pulse width and an interpulse separation of at least 100 times said pulse width.
27. The display system of claim 24, wherein said saturable absorber Q-switch is set to operate said passively Q-switched laser at a primary pulse repetition rate of at least 100 kHz.
28. The display system of claim 16, wherein said nonlinear element comprises at least one nonlinear optical crystal.
29. The display system of claim 28, wherein said at least one nonlinear optical crystal comprises a borate.
30. The display system of claim 29, wherein said borate is selected from the group consisting of LBO and BBO.
31. The display system of claim 16, wherein said predetermined conversion efficiency is at least 10%.
32. The display system of claim 31, wherein said predetermined conversion efficiency is about 50%.