Measurement of the gain in a XeF (C-A) laser pumped by a coaxial e-beam

A XeF (C→A) excimer laser with a specific output energy of 1.4 J/l has been demonstrated. The laser was pumped by a coaxial c-beam with an intermediate pulse length (≈ 175 ns) and pumping rate (~ 1 MW/cm3). The small signal gain in this system was measured at λ = 488 nm for different gas compositions and under various pumping conditions. A peak gain of 3.3% cm-1 was found in the usual five component gas mixture