Laser action in an indium hollow cathode discharge

Hollow cathode discharge excitation of indium is shown to produce laser action at 468.1, 689.2, 1342.8, and 1720nm. The cw468.1 nm and 1720 nm ionic lines are excited by charge exchange effect whereas the 689.2 nm cw ionic line is excited by a radiative cascade. The 1342.8 nm atomic line appears in the afterglow of the pulsed discharge and its population inversion is produced by recombination of the indium ions and the electrons. Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine-Mechanics, Academia Sinica. Research Fellow 1979–1980 of the Alexander-von-Humboldt-Stiftung