Nitrogen laser excited by microwave pulses

The first results are reported of an experimental investigation of the energy parameters of a nitrogen laser (λ = 337.1 nm) excited by high-power nanosecond microwave pulses. The measurements were carried out for a specific pump power of 0.4–1.6 MW/cm³ at a gas pressure of 3–30 Torr when the length of the active medium was 20–100 cm. The lasing efficiency was determined as a function of the specific power deposited in the microwave discharge and of the length of the active medium. The maximum efficiency did not exceed 0.06% and the peak radiation power was 12.5 kW.