Kinetic investigation of the upper laser levels of the copper vapor laser

A modernized hook apparatus was used to study the population history of the ²P _{1}/{2} and ²P _{3}/{2} upper laser levels of the copper vapor laser. It was found that the effective lifetime of these levels is a sensitive function of the laser input current. The population of these levels saturates for a peak current of 200 A, which corresponds to a voltage slightly above the breakdown voltage of the tube.