Effect of preionization on uniformity of photo-triggered XeCl laser discharges: modeling and comparison with experimental results

A model for photo-triggered XeCl laser discharges is described. The effective preionization pulse duration has been calculated, and it has been found to be much shorter than the streamer-forming time for the same gas pressure p and electric field per unit pressure E/p. The minimum preionization rate required for a good glow discharge has been found to increase very quickly with E/p or p. A comparison between the calculated values and some experimental data has been made and a fairly good agreement has been obtained.<
>