Stability Of Discharge In Excimer Gas Media With High Specific Pump Powers

The results of studies on the formation of a volume discharge in an electric-discharge XeCl laser with a maximum specific pumping power of 4.7 MW/cm(3) are presented. It is shown that with a half-cycle duration of discharge current of 20 ns, the radiation pulse duration on the base is 100 ns. A good agreement between the experimental and numerical results obtained with the XeCl laser was demonstrated. Plasma-chemical processes occurring in a volume discharge at a maximum electron concentration in the plasma of similar to 7x10(15) cm(-3) are considered.