60 J quasistationary electroionization laser on Xe atomic metastables

Abstract

A high-pressure ( <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">p = 3.5</tex> atm) electroionization laser operating on the <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">5d-6p</tex> xenon atomic transitions is investigated for a pumping pulse duration range up to 30 μs. An output energy of more than 60 J has been achieved with an Ar-Xe mixture and an active volume of 10 1. The angular divergence of the radiation was about <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">5 \times 10^{-5}</tex> rad. The advantages of such laser systems for industrial use is discussed.