NOVEL PRE-IONIZATION TECHNIQUE FOR DISCHARGE EXCITED RARE-GAS HALIDE LASERS

We report details of the design and performance of dischange excited rare gas halide lasers employing a novel type of discharge circuit. To achieve low inductance the capacitors are mounted internal to the gas envelope. Pre-ionization is provided automatically from an array of arcs forming an integral part of the discharge circuit. A laser of this design has yielded output energies greater than 0.5J per pulse on the 308 nm transition of XeCl. © 1979.