Action of high-power λ = 530 nm laser radiation on iodine vapor

An investigation was made of the luminescence of iodine vapor excited by λ = 530 nm laser radiation of up to 10 MW/cm² intensity. The usual "fast" luminescence was accompanied by a weak and slowly decaying luminescence of recombination origin. The latter luminescence was evidence of the efficiency of the twostage excitation of the molecules. The effective photon-absorption cross sections were estimated within the framework of a proposed model. These estimates made it possible to determine the best performance characteristics of a molecular iodine laser and the optimal pumping conditions.