Electron beam generation in open hollow-cathode discharge and the characteristics of He-Xe laser on the Xe line at {lambda} = 2.026 {mu}m

An open hollow-cathode discharge, generating an electron beam, is implemented in a cell with an active volume of 6.2 L. An electron-beam current of 3.4 A at an average power of 2.5 kW is obtained in helium in the quasi-cw regime at an anode voltage of 1.5 kV. Lasing in a He-Xe mixture on the 5d[3/2]{sup 0}{sub 1}-6p[3/2]{sub 1} transition in xenon at the wavelength {lambda} = 2.026 {mu}m under electron-beam excitation is investigated. The optimal component ratio in the He : Xe mixture is 99.5 : 0.5 (p{sub He} = 4-8 Torr). The lasing power linearly increases with increasing the electron-beam power. It is shown that the discharge of this type can be used as an electron-beam source for exciting gaseous active media. (lasers)