Abstract

An experimental investigation was made of the characteristics of a photodissociation laser operating on the B→®X (353 nm) and C→®A (485 nm) transitions of the excimer XeF. The gas medium was pumped with vacuum ultraviolet radiation from a formed-ferrite plasma (FFD) light source. The electrical discharge slides along the surface of 800 mm long by 10 mm diameter ferrite rod into which a conducting channel had previously been formed. The ferrite rod was placed near the wall of the 60 mm diameter alumina laser tube. The FFD was driven by using an electrical circuit which consisted of a prepulse circuit with a ballast resistance (_100) and of a main energy storage capacitor of 25 μF charged up to 40 KV (Fig. 1). The use of this technologically simple wideband pumping method allows to efficiently photodissociate XeF₂ and to produce laser action in the ultraviolet and visible spectral regions.

© 1996 Optical Society of America