Abstract

Excimer and atomic rare gas lasers are typically pumped by electron beams (e-beams) at power levels of 100’s of kW cm⁻³ for 100’s of nanoseconds with an energy deposition of ≤0.1 j cm⁻³. Excitation by heavy ions in the form of fission fragments results in lower-power deposition (1–10 kW cm⁻³), but the pulse length can be many hundreds of microseconds, resulting in an energy deposition of 0.5–1.0 J cm⁻³. Electron beam and heavy ion (HI) power excitation differ in the manner of power deposition. Electron beams generate more energetic secondary electrons having a high efficiency for further ionization.

© 1988 Optical Society of America