Mechanism of the operation of an rf-pumped cw Xe laser

Formation of specific structures of the radiation field of an rf-pumped cw Ar–He–Xe laser was observed experimentally. A model of the active medium was developed taking account of the spatial inhomogeneity of the gas-discharge parameters. It was found that under the conditions of a high input energy and gas heating the inhomogeneity of the refractive index led to the formation of optical field configurations differing significantly from the known hollow-waveguide modes. The effective mechanism of the recombination of electrons with molecular ArXe$^+$ and Xe$^+_2$ ions in the regions near the walls with an enhanced electric field intensity, together with displacement of the field to the periphery of the active region, ensured conditions favouring energy extraction in such a laser.