This contract supported a critical phase of an ongoing project having the objective of determining the feasibility and means of realizing a gamma-ray laser. Previous work had served to establish that a gamma-ray laser is feasible if a certain combination of elementary properties can be found in a real nuclear material. Traditional technology could not support the evaluation of these laser-like properties of nuclei and new methodologies had to be developed. Described here are highly significant successes in the development and demonstration of prototypes of two new devices need for the screening of candidate laser materials in a realistic time frame, a flash x-ray device for pumping test materials and a Nuclear Raman Spectrometer to facilitate the search for certain arrangements of nuclear energy levels. Keywords include: Extreme Ultraviolet, Tunable XUV, and Gamma ray laser.
