Optical maser modulators

Claim 1

APPARARUS FOR PRODUCING MODULATED ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION BY MASER ACTION COMPRISING A NEGATIVE TEMPERATURE MEDIUM CHARACTERIZED BY AT LEAST THREE DISTINCT ELECTRON ENERGY LEVELS, A PAIR OF WHICH HAVE A SEPARATION CORRESPONDING TO THE SIGNAL FREQUENCY TO BE PRODUCED, MEANS FOR APPLYING TO SAID MEDIUM PUMP WAVE ENERGY AT A FIRST FREQUENCY TO PRODUCE THEREIN A POPULATION INVERSION BETWEEN SAID PAIR OF ENERGY LEVELS WHEREBY STIMULATION EMISSION IS PRODUCED AT THE SIGNAL FREQUENCY, MEANS FOR APPLYING TO SAID MEDIUM MODULATED WAVE ENERGY AT A SECOND FREQUENCY CORRESPONDING TO THE SEPARATION BETWEEN A FIRST LEVEL OF SAID PAIR OF ENERGY LEVELS AND A THIRD LEVEL TO MODULATE THE POPULATION INVERSION BETWEEN SAID PAIR OF LEVELS, SAID WAVE ENERGY BEING EFFECTIVE TO EXCITE PARTICLES FROM SAID FIRST LEVEL ENERGY THAN THE LEVEL WHERE THE THIRD LEVEL IS OF HIGHER ENERGY THAN THE FIRST AND FROM SAID THIRD LEVEL TOO SAID FIRST LEVEL WHERE THE FIRST LEVEL IS OF HIGHER ENERGY THAN THE THIRD WHEREBY THE AMPLITUDE OF THE STIMULATED EMISSION IS MODULATED, AND MEANS FOR ABSTRACTING FOR UTILIZATION MODULATED OUTPUT ENERGY AT THE FREQUENCY CORRESPONDING TO THE SEPARATION BETWEEN SAID PAIR OF LEVELS.