Abstract

We have demonstrated vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) ${{\mathrm{Kr}}_2}^{*}$ laser oscillation as a result of the realization of a stable self-sustained discharge of high-pressure Kr by use of a compact discharge device. Glow discharge was obtained with as much as 10 atm of pure Kr. The VUV emission intensity centered at 147.8 nm abruptly increased when the charging voltage exceeded a certain value. In addition to this threshold behavior, considerable spectral narrowing $\left(4.0\to 0.4 \mathrm{nm}\right)$ was observed when the charging voltage increased. The maximum output energy at 148 nm was $150 \mu \mathrm{J}$. The gain coefficient was estimated to be $1.1\% {\mathrm{cm}}^{-1}$.

© 2001 Optical Society of America

Observation of vacuum-ultraviolet Ar₂^* radiation gain at 126 nm produced by an ultrashort high-intensity laser pulse propagating in a hollow fiber

Masanori Kaku, Takeshi Higashiguchi, Shoichi Kubodera, and Wataru Sasaki
Opt. Lett. 28(10) 804-806 (2003)

Generation of milliwatt narrow-bandwidth vacuum ultraviolet radiation by an all-solid-state tunable high-average-power laser system

T. Togashi, N. Nabekawa, T. Sekikawa, and S. Watanabe
Opt. Lett. 26(11) 831-833 (2001)

Laser-induced preionization of a rare-gas halide discharge

R. S. Taylor, A. J. Alcock, and K. E. Leopold
Opt. Lett. 5(6) 216-218 (1980)

High-power Lyman-? source generated with an ArF excimer laser

Scott A. Meyer and Gregory W. Faris
Opt. Lett. 23(3) 204-206 (1998)

Efficient shortening of self-chirped picosecond pulses in a high-power CO₂ amplifier

S. Ya. Tochitsky, C. Filip, R. Narang, C. E. Clayton, K. A. Marsh, and C. Joshi
Opt. Lett. 26(11) 813-815 (2001)