Effects of alkali-chlorides on the performance of the double-pulsed CuCl laser

Abstract

We have recently reported an extended temperature regime of operation of the CuCl double-pulse laser, and have studied the effects of adding metallic Na or K to the laser plasma on the performance of the laser. These investigations have been extended by examining the laser performance when NaCl, KCl or CsCl was mixed with the CuCl. We found that small admixtures of NaCl not only increased the pulse energy but also held it constant over a temperature range 450°C–850°C, while CsCl addition caused a stable laser discharge to persist beyond 900°C. We also studied the effect of alkali chloride addition on the optimal delay time between the dissociating and pumping discharge pulses.