Xe laser pumped by fast electrons generated in a barrier discharge

A compact pulsed generator of a kiloelectronvolt electron beam based on an open barrier discharge in a dense gas is proposed and developed. A stable discharge was observed in the experimental setup in a broad range of pressures up to the atmospheric pressure. At moderate pressures of the gas ({approx} 5 - 20 Torr), the efficient generation of an electron beam was observed with a current density of {approx} 1 A cm{sup -2} and the discharge area of {approx} 100 cm{sup 2}. The electron energy was {approx} 2 - 10 keV. The pulse repetition rate could be varied from 10 Hz to 10 kHz without changing the electron-beam parameters. By injecting an electron beam into a neutral gas, lasing was obtained at the transitions of a Xe atom in the 2-{mu}m region with an output power of {approx} 0.22 mW kHz{sup -1}. (active media. lasers)