Mechanism of lasing at the 5s2 2D5/2 – 5p 2P3/2 transition in Cd II at anomalously low temperatures of the active medium

The mechanism of lasing at the Cd II atomic ion transition at 441.6 nm at near-threshold temperatures, when the contribution from the sputtering of a pure metallic cadmium film by charged products of nuclear reaction cannot be neglected, is discussed. A comparison of the theoretical and experimental data leads to a value 10.8 atoms per event for the total average yield of sputtering of cadmium by the products of nuclear reaction ³He(n, p)³T.