Ablative flashlamps for high peak power dye lasers.

Area of Science:

• Laser Physics
• Optical Engineering
• High Energy Density Physics

Background:

• Ablative wall flashlamps are crucial for pumping high peak power dye lasers.
• Optimizing flashlamp performance requires understanding gas type and energy density effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally investigate ablative wall flashlamps for pumping high peak power dye lasers.
• To measure emission spectrum, brightness, and efficiency across different tube diameters and energy densities.
• To compare the performance of xenon and air as fill gases.

Main Methods:

• Experimental setup using three flashlamp tubes (1.6 mm, 4.4 mm, 8 mm diameters).
• Measurements of spectral emission, brightness, and efficiency from 250 nm to 580 nm.
• Varying electrical energy input densities up to 560 J/cm(3) with xenon and air.

Main Results:

• Flashlamp duration was approximately 2 microseconds.
• Xenon consistently outperformed air across tested parameters.
• Above 150 J/cm(3), gas type and pressure became less critical, but xenon remained superior.

Conclusions:

• Ablative wall flashlamps are effective for high peak power dye laser pumping.
• Xenon is the preferred fill gas for optimal flashlamp performance.
• Energy density significantly influences flashlamp output, with xenon showing consistent advantages.