Penning Neon Laser Pumped by a Pulsed Inductive Longitudinal Discharge

Abstract

Laser radiation in the yellow wavelength range is widely used in ophthalmology due to its effectiveness and unique properties. Commercial medical laser systems existing today have low pulse power and other disadvantages. A yellow neon laser with a wavelength of 585.3 nm can be suggested as alternative. We experimentally study a neon laser pumped by a pulsed inductive longitudinal discharge; a Ne–H₂ gas mixture with various ratios is used as the active medium. The shape and duration of the lasing pulses strongly depend on the ratio Ne : H₂, providing both single and double pulses with a total duration of 30 to 100 ns (FWHM). The generation energy attains 20 μJ, which corresponds to a pulse power of 200 W. The laser beam cross section is close to a circle in shape; the beam divergence is lower than 2 mrad. In future, an inductive neon laser operating in a pulse-periodic mode with a pulse repetition rate of up to 100 Hz can be used for various applications, including in medicine.