Abstract

The past several years have seen the emergence and rapid growth of many highly efficient lasers that operate in the visible and UV spectral range. They range from discharge and electron-beam-pumped excimers to the free electron laser. The motivation for development of these lasers has been diverse, varying from military applications to laser isotope separation to blue-green laser communications. However, they all typically have two things in common: they are electrically driven and are amenable to closed cycle operation.

© 1982 Optical Society of America