Copper vapor laser with stabilized output parameters

The possibility was demonstrated of regulating the emission characteristics of a laser utilizing self-terminating transitions by controlled variation of the concentrations of the normal and excited particles in the active medium, and of the electron temperature and density, by applying one or several additional electric pulses. In the case of a copper vapor laser the output pulse energy was stabilized as the pulse repetition frequency was varied over a wide range, as was the average laser output power at one of the selected frequencies. A prototype pulsed copper vapor laser was made which maintained a constant (to an accuracy of 1–3%) laser output pulse energy when the pulse repetition frequency was varied in the range 0.25–6.5 kHz.