F.T.J.L. Lankhorst

Vacuum ultraviolet fluorescence of (XeRb)+ produced in an electron‐beam‐pumped gas mixture

With a pulsed electron beam a gas mixture of Ar, Xe, and Rb was excited producing (XeRb)+ ionic excimer molecules. To study the formation kinetics the (XeRb)+fluorescence pulse was measured as a function of the gas composition and the pumping density. From the observed fluorescence signal decay a value of 6±1×10−30 cm6/s for the formation rate constant of (XeRb)+ from Xe+, Ar, and Rb was determined.

Long pulse electron beam pumped molecular F2* laser

An electron beam pumped molecular F*2 laser with optical pulse widths up to 160 ns, and an output energy of 1.7 J (optical flux of 4.6 MW/cm2) has been realized. The widths of the laser pulses seem only limited by the duration of the excitation pulse (160 ns). For specific output powers up to 100 kW/cm3 no signs of self‐terminating laser pulses due to bottlenecking in the lower laser level have been observed.

Formation and quenching mechanisms of the electron beam pumped (XeRb)+ ionic excimer in different buffer gases

The ionic excimer molecule XeRb+ is formed in an electron beam excited gas mixture of Xe, Rb, and a buffer gas. The formation and quenching mechanisms of ionic excimers are investigated by measuring the XeRb+fluorescence as a function of the gas composition and gas pressure. The formation of XeRb+ is achieved by a three‐body association reaction between Xe+, Rb, and a buffer gas atom. For the buffer gases He, Ne, or Ar the values of the important formationrate constants are determined from the observed fluorescence signal decay.

High specific laser output energy at 157 nm from an electron beam pumped He/Ne/F2 gas mixture

The output energy and the temporal behavior of a molecular F*2 laser pumped by a coaxial electron beam have been measured in gas mixtures of He/F2 and He/Ne/F2. The highest output energy of 172 mJ has been obtained in a mixture of He/Ne/F2 (19.9%/80%/0.1%) at a pressure of 12 bar, corresponding to a specific output energy of 10.8 J/l and an intrinsic efficiency of 2.6%.