Time-dependent simulations of a CW pumped, pulsed DC discharge Ar metastable laser system

Optically pumped rare gas lasers have the potential for scaling to output powers above the kW level. In these devices, electrical discharges through He/Rg mixtures (Rg = Ne, Ar, Kr and Xe) are used to generate metastable Rg atoms in the 1s₅ state. Optical pumping to the 2p₉ level, followed by collisional relaxation to 2p₁₀, is then used to produce lasing on the 2p₁₀-1s₅ transition. Several computational models have been developed to analyze CW systems using steady-state approximations for the discharge excitation, optical pumping and lasing processes. However, recent experiments show that repetitively pulsed discharges have advantages for producing larger volume, high-pressure discharges. Here we present dynamic simulations of a CW laser that uses pulsed-discharge production of Ar metastables. Time-dependent equations are solved for both the discharge and lasing process. Two models are investigated. The first considers the conditions within the lasing medium to be spatially uniform (zero-dimensional model). The second allows for spatial variations along the lasing axis (one-dimensional model). The models were evaluated by simulating the performance characteristics of an experimentally demonstrated system that provides time-averaged output energies in the range of 3-4 W. Time-dependent species densities, laser power and longitudinal spatial distributions are presented.