Decay of 6p3 2D03/2 metastable levels of bismuth atoms in the interpulse period in a bismuth vapor laser

The method of resonant absorption due to the lasing transition was used to investigate the decay of the 6p^{3 2}D⁰_3/2 lower active level of the bismuth atom in the afterglow of a pulsed discharge in bismuth vapor containing a buffer gas. It was found that 10^–5 sec after the discharge pulse, the decay of the population of the 6p^{3 2}D⁰_3/2 level is described by an exponential dependence with the time constant 2x10^–5sec.