Generation of electron beams for pumping of the GARPUN wide-aperture excimer laser

A description is given of the design of the GARPUN excimer laser module intended for generation of ultraviolet radiation or wide-aperture amplification of short laser pulses. The main parameters of the electron-beam laser-pumping system are given. A detailed discussion is provided of the task of generation of high-current electron beams with a large cross-sectional area and uniform distribution of the current. An analysis of the losses in the system supplying high-voltage pulses to electron accelerators, and also of the losses in the formation and coupling of electron beams to the laser chamber shows that the attained laser-pumping efficiency of ~16% may be increased by a factor of 1.5–2.