Ablative flashlamps for high peak power dye lasers

An experimental investigation of ablative wall flashlamps used to pump high peak power dye laser is presented. The duration of the flashes was about 2 microsec. Three tubes with diameters 1.6 mm, 4.4 mm, and 8 mm were used. We have measured the emission spectrum, the brightness, and the efficiency between 250 nm and 580 nm for electrical energy input densities up to 560 J/cm(3). The performance of the flashlamps with xenon and air is shown. The experiments demonstrate that above an energy density of about 150 J/cm(3) the gas type and pressure are unimportant but that xenon is always superior.