Effect of reactor radiation on the operation of a neodymium inorganic liquid laser

The radiation parameters of a neodymium liquid laser based on phosphorus oxychloride are measured upon irradiation of the laser medium by neutrons and gamma-rays from a BARS-6 two-zone reactor. This irradiation increases the laser energy by 20%—30% compared to the laser energy in the absence of irradiation. The lasing threshold is observed to decrease with increasing the irradiation dose. In the case of simultaneous optical and nuclear pumping of the laser medium, the free-running regime of laser operation converts to the regime of high-power pulses.