Studies of the coaxial diode Xenon VUV laser

Developments of the coaxial-diode VUV laser are reviewed. Frequency narrowing to 0.1nm and tuning over a range of 2500 cm
^-1
has been achieved with megawatt powers. A peak energy of 55 mJ (5 MW) is obtained with a pumping energy of 35J. The breakdown threshold in 10K Torr Xenon has been measured to be ~ 100 MW cm
^-2
. Picosecond pulses at λ 173nm have been generated, by four-wave mixing, for amplification in Xenon. Future developments are briefly considered.