Vol. 6, issue 06, article # 2
pdf Kolbychev G. V. Generation of runaway electron beams and use of these beams for pumping metal vapor lasers. // Atmospheric and oceanic optics. 1993. V. 6. No. 06. P. 635-649.Copy the reference to clipboard
Abstract:
An efficient way of generating electron beams with the energy from 2 to 10 keV in a gas discharge of a middle pressure is described. A detailed description of the generation process is also given. A relation of the beam generation to the length of the interelectrode gap and to the intensity of an external UV-illumination is derived. It is shown that under optimal generation conditions the cathode - fall region is anomalously long and covers the whole discharge gap. Different versions of using these beams to pump metal vapor lasers that provides on order of magnitude higher efficiency of pumping compared to a gas - discharge laser. In a radial arrangement of pumping the input e-beam energy can reach the value of 10-20 J/m per pulse. In a longitudinal arrangement of pumping the operation at a repetition rate of several hundred kilocycles and the mean power of pumping about 50 kW per every 105 cycles is possible without a decrease in the overall efficiency of the laser. Advantages and drawbacks of both versions of pumping arrangement are discussed and some limitations of physical and technical nature on the beam and laser parameters are revealed.