<title>Optically Pumped Ultraviolet And Infrared Lasers Driven By Exploding Metal Films And Wires</title>

Abstract

The 342-nm molecular iodine and 1315-nm atomic iodine lasers have been optically pumped by intense light from exploding-metal-film and exploding-wire discharges. Brightness temperatures for the exploding-film discharges were -25,000 K and for the wire discharges were -30,000 K. For the 12 laser the 3.5-cm diameter by 40-cm long pumped volume lies adjacent to the wire or film of the same length. Pressures of 1-6 torr 12 and 1-3 atm SF; CF4, or Ar were used in the stainless-steel cell. Using 20-pF capacitance charged to 40 kV, a 0.25-mm tungsten wire, 3-torr 12, and a 2-atm SF6, an energy of 2 J was obtained from the laser in a pulse of 8-Ns duration. The specific output energy was 7 J/k. Substitution of a cylin-drical A2 film for the wire, under otherwise similar conditions, led to a X10 output energy reduction. With an active volume and wire of 70-cm length greater output energies and efficiencies were obtained with similar input energy. An output pulse of 12 J and 12-ps duration was measured for a specific output energy of 18 J/ℓ. A laser energy of 110 J in a 20-us-long pulse has been measured from atomic iodine using a wire discharge along the axis of a larger cell. The active volume available was 20 cm in diameter and 80 cm in length. Input energy was 32 kJ. In similar measurements using a cylindrical AR, film for discharge initiation, the measured output energy was 40 J.