Energy Characteristics of a Copper Vapor Laser Pumped by a Marx Generator

Energy characteristics of a copper vapor laser (CVL) pumped by a Marx generator are studied. The schematic of the generator is provided; features of its operational are described, since thyratrons are used as switches in the generator. It is shown that a Marx generator enables increasing the upper limit of stable operation of thyratrons (proportional to the number of thyratrons used; up to ∼ 8–10 kV of inverse voltage across the thyratron anodes for two thyratrons) and, hence, ensures active medium pumping parameters unattainable with a single thyratron. The pulse energy is shown to linearly increase with the voltage across a gas discharge tube (GDT) and decrease with the excitation pulse repetition rate. A CVL pumped by a Marx generator is a promising radiation source for high-altitude sensing of the atmosphere and creation of artificial guide stars in adaptive optics devices, active optical systems, and atmospheric bistatic communication channels.