High-power hydrogen laser emitting vacuum ultraviolet radiation at high pulse repetition frequency

An experimental study was made of a high-power hydrogen laser emitting vacuum ultraviolet radiation at a pulse repetition frequency up to 400 Hz. The laser was characterized by high values of the average power (10 mW) and high stability (10 %). A new system of combining elements of a strip line with a laser cell made it possible to eliminate completely the danger of breakdown to the connected apparatus and to the vacuum pump system; moreover, pulsed electrical strays were avoided. A study was made of the pressure dependence of the output power in the range 10^–3–10^–1 atm, which could not be done in earlier investigations because of the electrical breakdown mentioned above. The pressure dependence of the output power was found to be nonmonotonic.