Ultraviolet ion laser performance and spectroscopy - Part I: New strong noble-gas transitions below 2500 Å

The performance and spectroscopy of UV ion lasers have been investigated to 1850 Å, the limit of available mirrors. New anomalously strong transitions of about 1-kW peak power were found in Xe IV? at 2315.357 Å and Kr IV at 2191.916 Å. The shortest wavelength new laser transition was Kr IV at 1949.623 Å. Wavelengths were measured for 25 new and many previously known UV laser transitions to about 0.006 Å. Optimum output in watts was also measured as a function of bore current density and gas pressure. All measurements were taken from a 7-mm-bore 150-cm-arc-length tube designed for low electrical inductance providing current excitation pulses with 250-ns full width at half maximum (FWHM).