A powerful source of broadband UV-VUV radiation is developed on the base of a multichannel sliding discharge. The discharge having a radiating surface of hundreds of cm 2 is initiated simultaneously along several dozens of parallel linear channels located close to each other. The design of the discharge electric circuit allows a remarkably fast energy deposition into plasma: up to 4 kJ during 1.5 μs. Absolute measurements of discharge VUV radiation are performed by the method of spectrally selective dynamic actinometry. The total photon flux produced by the source within the spectral range of 120–200 nm reaches 1026 photons/s.

We introduce a numerical investigation of a HF photochemical laser pumped by planar multi-channel sliding discharges to study the possibility of advanced laser characteristic achievment using such pumping source. The model considers transport of VUV pump radiation through the nonlinear absorptive active medium containing NF3/H2/N2/Ar gas mixture coupled with chemical and lasmg kinetics describing the temporal and spatial evolution of particle species and intracavitv lasing photons. The relative importance of various kinetic processes is evaluated and the 3 .2 J/liter laser specific energy is calculated.

A numerical code has been developed to simulate the characteristics of HF chemical laser based on non-chain reaction pumped by a planar sliding discharge radiation. The model considers transport of VUV pump radiation through the nonlinear absorptive active medium containing NF3IH2IN2/Ar gas mixture coupled with chemical and lasing kinetics describing the temporal and spatial evolution of particle species concentration and intracavity lasing photons density. The relative importance of various kinetic processes is evaluated and a 3 .2 J/I laser output specific energy is calculated along the laser axis.

Résumé : Une nouvelle source plasma VUV de grande dimension (20 x 50 cm 2 ) et de forte température de brillance (T > 30 000 K) dans le domaine du VUV est présentée. Cette source constitue le moyen de pompage d'un amplificateur pour laser femtoseconde dans le domaine du visible.

Résumé : Le code numérique développé simule les caractéristiques d'un laser chimique HF sans réaction en chaîne pompé par photodissociation de la molécule fluorée NF3 à l'aide de décharges de surface. Le modèle étudie le couplage entre le transport du flux lumineux VUV intense de la source de pompage a travers le milieu actif du laser, constitué par le mélange gazeux NF3/H2/N2/Ar, et les processus chimiques et radiatifs qui en découlent. Les performances lasers sont calculées en intégrant un système d'équations différentielles non linéaires couplées et permettent d'évaluer l'importance relative des différents processus cinétiques.