Investigation of electron-beam-excited molecular gas lasers

Physical processes are investigated in active media of high-pressure gas lasers operating on electronic transitions of molecules. Lasing was obtained in the VUV ( = 172 nm) region of the spectrum by exciting compressed xenon and an Ar:Xe mixture. The effect of the temperature and pressure on the kinetics of the processes in the active laser media Ar:N₂, Xe:0₂, and Ar:Kr:F₂ are investigated. A new class of excimers, consisting of one halide and two inert atoms, is observed for the first time ever, and the temperature dependence of the spontaneous and laser emissions of XrF* is investigated; this dependence is due to the redistribution of the energy drawn from the electron beam among the excimers KrF^* and Kr2^F*.Translated from Trudy Ordena Lenina Fizicheskogo Instituta im. P. N. Lebedeva, Vol. 142, pp. 172–202, 1983.