| Abstract: | Theoretical and experimental investigations are described, aimed at the develo pment, construction, and study of the features of a photochemical xenon-oxide laser whose action is based on the photodecomposition of nitrous oxide by vacuum ultraviolet radiation of an open hlgh-current discharge with formation of oxygen atoms followed by oxidation of the xenon. The theoretical problems connected with the determination of the mechanism and the calculation of the kinetics of the physicochemical processes in an XeO laser are considered. A numerical computation of the pumping is carried out, and the inversion and gain on the laser transition are calculated. The construction of the laser is described, as well as an experimental procedure for obtaining the optimal temperatures, composition, and pressure of the working-mixture components. The spectral composition of the laser radiation and the energy characteristics of the laser are investigated. The heat released in the course of the photolysis, the constants of the quenching rates of the upper laser state of XeO (21Σ+), and the vibrational relaxation of the lower state of XeO (11Σ+) are estimated. The internal losses in the active medium of the photochemical XeO laser are theoretically investigated. The possibility of increasing the volume of the active medium using a plane-parallel cavity is estimated. |
