Electron beam generation in open hollow-cathode discharge and the characteristics of He—Xe laser on the Xe line at λ = 2.026 μm

An open hollow-cathode discharge, generating an electron beam, is implemented in a cell with an active volume of 6.2 L. An electron-beam current of 3.4 A at an average power of 2.5 kW is obtained in helium in the quasi-cw regime at an anode voltage of 1.5 kV. Lasing in a He—Xe mixture on the 5d[3/2]⁰₁—6p[3/2]₁ transition in xenon at the wavelength λ = 2.026 μm under electron-beam excitation is investigated. The optimal component ratio in the He : Xe mixture is 99.5 : 0.5 (p_He = 4—8 Torr). The lasing power linearly increases with increasing the electron-beam power. It is shown that the discharge of this type can be used as an electron-beam source for exciting gaseous active media.