Electron-beam-controlled atomic Xe infrared laser

A study was made of a high-power high-pressure electron-beam-controlled laser utilizing the 5d–6p and 7p–7s transitions of the Xe atom and having an active volume of 9 liters. The dependences were obtained of the electrical parameters of an electron-beam-controlled discharge and of the energy parameters and spectral composition of the output radiation on the type of buffer gas, the discharge circuit parameters, and the composition and pressure of the active mixture. When the medium was pumped by an electron beam alone, having a current density of ~ 6 A/cm² and a pulse duration of 0.7 μsec, the laser output energy was ~ 6/J (efficiency ~ 1.5%), but for electronbeam- controlled pumping it was roughly 20 J. The physical lasing efficiency, in terms of the electric field, was ~5%. An analysis was made of the mechanism of the establishment of the active medium conductivity and of the population kinetics of the active transition levels.