Short-pulse iodine laser

Properties are reported for a short-pulse iodine laser which uses a high-current discharge in the working mixture as the source of optical pumping. Working substances for this laser are described together with the hyperfine structure of the radiation transition, the effects of a magnetic field on iodine-laser action, and the rate of relaxation between sublevels of the hyperfine structure. The kinetics of elementary processes in the laser is examined, and experimental results are presented for a study of high-current discharges in dense gases. Recent experiments with iodine lasers are reviewed. Problems associated with the efficiency of such lasers are pointed out.