Research in laser processes

Measurements at very high rare gas densities have yielded the contribution of trimer molecules, e.g., NaXe2, to the absorption and stimulated emission continuum of metal vapor-rare gas excimers. Attempts to obtain a sufficiently high electron and excited state temperature in a pulsed discharge in high pressure metal vapor-rare gas mixtures were unsuccessful because of the approach of the system to local thermodynamic equilibrium and the limited peak electrical energy available. A model was developed to describe the temporal growth of the cathode fall in an electron-beam initiated electric discharge. The electron drift tube technique for the measurement of electron excitation coefficients was applied to the A3 sigma and b1 sigma metastable states of N2 and O2, respectively, and was extended to make possible laser absorption measurements of excitation coefficients for the 3P2 metastable and 3P1 resonance states of Ne. Experimental measurements of fluorescent intensities from the resonance state of Na with white light and laser excitation, show agreement with theory when the theory is modified to include hyperfine structure and the non-radiative transport of resonance excitation.