Lasers pumped by heavy-ion beams

Abstract

General aspects of the excitation of matter with heavy-ion beams are discussed. Lasers in the wavelength region between 1 and 3 μm in rare-gas mixtures pumped with 1.9-GeV xenon, 100-MeV sulphur, 3.6-MeV argon, and 3.3-MeV helium ions are described as examples for lasers pumped by heavy-ion beams. The beam power ranges from a few watts (dc) to about 1 MW during short pulses of about 1-ns length. Optical gain can be measured with an intracavity method. Data on the shape of the volume excited by a 100- MeV 32S beam are shown. An experimental setup for time-resolved optical spectroscopy in a wide wavelength region between a few nanometers and about 700 nm is described. Emission spectra of rare gases excited by heavy-ion beams are discussed and optical gain on ion lines and excimer bands is estimated for different target and beam parameters. Collisional processes in the target gas were studied by time-resolved optical spectroscopy. Population densities of selected 3p levels in Ne I, II, and IV and rate constants for collisional depopulation of excited levels were determined. Experiments planned at the heavy-ion synchrotron SIS at Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt are discussed.