Abstract

We shall consider the possibility of enhancing the output radiation energy and the service life of a compact pulse-periodic XeCI laser by altering the composition of the working mixture and cooling it. Our apparatus consisted of a laser and a measuring system. The laser was constructed by us and it had automatic spark preionisation. The buffer chamber of this laser had an additional unit which made it possible to cool the working mixture to a wide range of temperatures. The active chamber of the laser was constructed from 08Kh18N10T chemically stable stainless steel. The insulators and seals were made of Teflon. The volumes of the active medium and of the gas channel were 0.105 litre (35 cm × 1 cm × 3 cm) and 20 litres, respectively. A thin walled tube placed under an earthed electrode served as a heat exchanger. An ax ial fan was used to set the working mixture in motion around the heat exchanger.

© 1996 Optical Society of America