Mercury halide vapor molecular laser pumped by a wide-band optical radiation and emitting three-color visible radiation

A description is given of the first mercury halide photodissociation laser pumped by wide-band thermal radiation from a plasma and emitting three-color visible radiation. Simultaneous lasing was observed for ionic-covalent electronic B–X transition in molecules of mercury monochloride λ_l≈558 and 559 nm, monobromide (λ_l≈502 and 504 nm), and monoiodide (λ_l≈443 and 444 nm). The laser radiation energy was ~0.3J emitted in the form of ~2.5μsec pulses and the lasing efficiency was ~0.07%.