An optically pumped XeF(C-A) laser with repetitive rate of 10 Hz

A novel XeF(C-A) laser which can be operated in repetition mode has been developed based on surface discharge optical pumping technique. Its maximum repetitive rate is up to 10 Hz. The influence of repetitive rate and gas flow rate on the stability of output energy is studied and the main factor which influences the stability of output energy is analyzed. The experimental results show that increasing the gas flow rate into laser chamber can improve the stability of the output energy. The ideal output energy results of 20 laser pulses under different repetitive rates and their optimal experimental conditions are presented. Output energies of more than 4 J and better stability can be obtained when the laser device operates at 1, 2, and 5 Hz, respectively. When the gas feed rate is larger than 53 Its, the stability of output energy is improved obviously at the repetitive rate of 10 Hz, and the average energy of 20 laser pulses is up to 3.2 J. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3677847]