Copper vapour laser with an inductive energy storage and a semiconductor current interrupter

A copper vapour laser is built in which a pump generator uses an inductive energy storage and a semiconductor current interrupter. Lasing was obtained in the stationary mode, using a self-heating active element 36 cm³ in volume, at a pulse repetition rate of 10 kHz and an average output power of 3.3 W. The use of the inductive energy storage in this laser resulted in a 20% increase in the average output power compared to that for a conventional pump circuit.