Abstract:
A numerical solution of the Boltzmann equation for the electron energy distribution function is used to determine the rate constants of the excitation of laser-active levels and the electron energy balance in a discharge in a Cu–Ne mixture. This is done for various compositions of the kind used in copper vapor lasers in which copper atoms are formed by heating. It is found that an increase in the relative concentration of the copper atoms shifts the range of the most effective excitation of the upper active levels to the range of high values of E/N, which is the ratio of the electric field E in the discharge to the total number of particles N per unit volume. An analysis is made of the reasons for the change in the specific output energy at high temperatures in lasers with thermal methods of generation of copper atoms (by heating in a discharge or by independent forced heating).
Fulltext:
PDF file (678 kB)