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Studies of a xenon chloride laser

University of British Columbia

A compact, transverse discharge XeCl laser has been constructed. The laser employs an LC double inversion circuit, and is operated, at an optimum gas mix containing 1.12% Xe, 0.56% HCl, and 98.32% He, at a maximum filling pressure of 80 Psi. The electrical efficiency of the laser is typically 0.3%, with an output energy of ≈ 95 mj and an output laser pulse FWHM of 13.5 nsec, resulting in an output power of ≈ 7 MW. The discharge current reaches a peak value of 7.75 KA, with a rise time of 24 nsec, whereas the voltage reaches a maximum value of 29.1 KV, with a rise time of 111 nsec. By using a CO₂ Mach-Zehnder interferometer, the electron density was measured for the optimum mix (4.01±x10¹⁵cm⁻³). Several studies at different Xe : HCl ratios showed that the dissociative attachment of HCl molecules is responsible for the electron loss during the discharge. The electron temperature was calculated using the measured values of discharge resistance and the drift velocity. The results show that electrons cool by inelastic collisions with HCl molecules.

Text

2010-08-16

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/27421

Physics

University of British Columbia

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