Improvements in long-pulse, electron-beam pumped XeF(C→A) laser performance

Abstract

The performance of the XeF(C9A) laser, pumped at a rate of 290 kW/cm3 with a 600ns electron beam pulse, has been improved through the optimization of the laser gas mixture and resonator output coupler reflectivity, and by injecting radiation into the cavity from an external source so as to reduce the flux buildup time. An intrinsic efficiency of 1.8% and a specific output energy of 3 3/1 have been demonstrated, and a total output energy of 4 J has been recorded. This represents the best performance obtained thus far for any directly electrically-excited Xef(C4A) laser. The laser pulse duration was 500 ns (FWHM).The laser bandwidth has been reduced to less than 1.3 A (the resolution of the spectrometer) by injecting a narrowband signal, and the wavelength of the laser has been tuned from 478.6 to 486.8 nm. The small-signal net gain has been measured during the electron beam pulse at various wavelengths, and the sidelight fluorescence spectrum has been recorded.