Electric discharge XeCl laser with an output energy of 1 J and an efficiency of 2.6%

The results are given of experiments designed to improve the efficiency of a gas-discharge XeCl laser with x-ray preionization, operating in a quasisteady-state excitation regime. When the homogeneity of the electric field in the discharge gap was improved and the power supply system was matched to the gas-discharge plasma, lasing was realized with a duration of 190 nsec, an energy of more than 1 J, and efficiencies of 2.6 and 3.6%, expressed respectively in terms of the pump energy and power. The optimal composition of the active mixture was found to be determined by the degree of homogeneity of the electric field in the discharge gap, while the width of the radiation beam in the near-field zone, transverse to the discharge region, increased with the pump energy and with the neon content in the mixture.