Influence of N2, O2, H2, and H2O impurities on the operation of nuclear-pumped lasers based on transitions in xenon and chlorine atoms

An investigation was made of the influence of molecular gas impurities N₂, O₂, H₂, and H₂O on the operational parameters of nuclear-pumped lasers based on transitions in xenon and chlorine atoms. Experiments yielded the dependences of the output power and of the specific pump power at the lasing threshold on the partial pressures of molecular gases in xenon (λ = 2.03 μm) and chlorine (λ = 1.59 μm) lasers. The experimental results were used to estimate the cross sections of resonant absorption of radiation by all the investigated molecular gases and the distributed loss coefficients of the active media of xenon and chlorine lasers with trace concentrations of the impurities. There were grounds for assuming that a more effective removal of molecular gas impurities from the active media would increase the operational efficiency of nuclear-pumped lasers.