Compact XeF (C -> A) and iodine laser optically pumped by a surface discharge

A compact surface-discharge laser system has been developed and applied to optically pumping the bound {r_arrow} free XeF ({ital C}{r_arrow}{ital A}) transition that lases in the blue-green (475--490-nm) and the {ital P}{sub 1/2}2{r_arrow}{ital P}{sub 3/2}2 transition of atomic iodine at 1.315 {mu}m. Employing no high voltage or current switches and occupying only {similar_to}1 m{sup 2} of table space, this device has an active length of {similar_to}50 cm and at present dissipates {gt}8 MW/cm of surface discharge for a stored energy of 2.5 kJ. With 5% output coupling at 485 nm, energies of {gt}50 mJ are obtained on the XeF ({ital C}{r_arrow}{ital A}) transition in 1.5-{mu}s (FWHM) pulses. The spectrum of the untuned oscillator is virtually free of absorption features and has a width of {similar_to}15 nm (FWHM). Pulse energies exceeding 0.7 J have been obtained for iodine at 1.3 {mu}m with an output coupling of only 10%.