Pulsed barium vapor laser with hydrogen additive and interactive circuit

A small-size discharge heated barium vapor laser with an axial temperature controller was designed and made. The operational characteristics of the laser with different hydrogen additives and two excitation circuits were experimentally investigated and compared. The results indicate that the addition of a small ratio (1.5%) of hydrogen to neon and the interactive circuit (IC) can greatly increase the laser output power. The maximum average laser power of 3.5 watts and a record specific power of 117.3 mW/cm³ at a 1.5 μm wavelength were obtained under optimal discharge conditions. Some possible mechanisms were suggested to explain the enhanced effect of the hydrogen additive and IC to the laser output performances. PACS 42.55.Lt; 42.60.Lh; 52.80.Tn