Gas lasers with wide-band optical pumping (review)

An analysis is made of methods of exciting laser action in gases due to electronic transitions in atoms and molecules subjected to wide-band pumping by thermal light sources. These include a photodissociation excitation method with the establishment of an inversion in primary photoprocesses and secondary reactions, and a method of excitation due to allowed molecular electronic transitions. In addition to existing excitation mechanisms, the possibility of implementing new optical pumping principles is discussed.