Efficient and practical hydrogen vacuum ultraviolet laser

Investigations of the hydrogen vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) laser carried out in the Institute of Spectroscopy of the USSR Academy of Sciences are reviewed. Data for VUV TEA H
2
and D
2
lasers at gas pressure up to 2 atm and for low-pressure high-repetition rate hydrogen lasers axe presented. The upper limit quantum system efficiency for both gas dischaxge and
e
-beam excitation of H
2
lasers is discussed. The possibility of obtaining CW operation of the H
2
-VUV laser is also discussed.