Time-dependent gain and absorption in a 5 J UV preionized XeCl laser

The operating characteristics of a wide aperture (5 × 4.5 cm
²
), high output energy (5 J), UV preionized XeCl laser are described. The time dependence of the gain and absorption have been measured for both He and Ne based laser gas mixes. These measurements were correlated with the discharge current and voltage waveforms. For optimized laser gas mixes and pressures, the absorption for He based laser mixes was ten times higher than for Ne based mixes. Absorption data are also presented for the component gas mixes.