Relativistic electron-beam excitation of gas lasers

Limitations of high-energy high-power gas lasers are generally related to nonuniform excitation and the collisional deactivation of molecules which form the upper-energy level of the laser transition. These limitations can be overcome by using high-energy high-power electron beams for the excitation of the laser medium. Studies involving an electron-beam excitation of a xenon vacuum-ultraviolet laser are discussed, taking into account mixtures of xenon with helium and argon. Investigations with an electron accelerator and an HF chemical laser are also reported.