This article is cited in
2 papers
Lasers and laser media
Influence of ultraviolet preionization on the characteristics of an electric discharge HgBr laser
E. A. Petrukhin,
A. S. Podsosonnyĭ
Abstract:
Investigations were made of the dependences of the output energy of an HgBr laser on the delay time between an ultraviolet preionization pulse and the main discharge pulse, obtained for different HgBr
2 concentrations and energies stored in the ultraviolet preionization source. The drop in the laser output energy on increase in the delay was found to be associated with the process of the dissociative attachment of electrons to the HgBr
2 molecules. The rate of this process was found to be (2.6 ± 0.5) X 10
– 12 cm
3/s. Measurements of the density
ne of the preionizing electrons by the charge collection method showed their principal source to be the HgBr
2 vapor. An increase in the concentration of the HgBr
2 vapor from 4 X 10
16 to 1.3 X 10
17 cm
– 3 led to an exponential reduction in the electron density in the discharge gap of the investigated HgBr laser from 10
10 to 10
16 cm
– 3 due to the absorption of the ionizing radiation by the layer of HgBr
2 vapor. For HgBr
2 concentrations of greater than 10
17 cm
–3, the observed fall in the laser output energy was due to a reduction in
ne to a value close to the threshold for a volume discharge. Possible ways of increasing the discharge gap of an HgBr laser with ultraviolet preionization were analyzed.
UDC:
621.373.826.038.823
PACS:
42.55.Lt,
42.60.Jf,
33.80.Gj,
33.80.Eh Received: 14.04.1987
Fulltext:
PDF file (1108 kB)