Plasma radiation emitted by dense mixtures of rare gases excited by an electron beam and by a discharge

An experimental investigation was made of the radiation emitted from a plasma formed by rare gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe) excited by a beam of electrons with different parameters and by discharge pulses (P= 0.1–0.5 atm, I=1 kA, U=10–15 kV, C=0.25 F). An investigation was made of the spectral composition and time characteristics of the radiation, and of their dependences on the excitation conditions. New molecular bands were observed in the near-ultraviolet and visible ranges. The uniquely large widths of these bands could be of interest in the amplification of light in a wide spectral range.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 1, pp. 56–73, January, 1992.