ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces some of the important variables in an isotope separation process and shows how the beam shape influences the commercial success of the process. Laser-induced chemistry is an exciting and expanding field, which has led to commercial spin-off opportunities, such as the separation of isotopes of a given atom by means of selective laser-induced dissociation of a molecular structure containing those isotopes. Multiple photon infrared (IR) excitation is the absorption of many IR photons by a single molecule; often these photons differ in frequency, requiring various sources to be used in the process. The excitation of the lower vibrational levels is of particular interest in isotope separation since the stage of the process determines the isotope selectivity of the multiple photon process. Multiple photon excitation using infrared lasers usually refers to the molecular route, and the isotope separation technique based on this is called Molecular Laser Isotope Separation.
