Simple TEA ultraviolet traveling-wave nitrogen laser

A prototype TEA ultraviolet nitrogen laser (λ = 337.1 nm) excited by a traveling wave was constructed and tested. The dependences of the lasing on the applied voltage and the electrode gap were determined. The optimal conditions for emission at the atmospheric pressure of nitrogen were obtained for E /p = 101–105 V·cm^–1·Torr^–1 when the electrode gap was 2.9 mm and the angle between the electrodes was 5 mrad. Under optimal conditions the output power was in excess of 200 kW, the pulse duration was 0.9 ns, and the repetition frequency was 5–50 Hz.