Transverse-discharge copper-vapor laser

A novel transverse-discharge copper-vapor laser has been developed using a flat-plate Blumlein pulse-forming circuit. This copper-vapor laser system generates a current pulse with a fast rise time (<10 ns) and laser-specific energy density of 22 μJ/cm
³
even under a highly contaminated condition. An 8 ns long laser pulse is generated in an approximately
1 \times 1 \times 20
cm
³
volume, producing a specific power density of 2.8 kW/cm
³
. The results of the preliminary measurements of the laser parameters are presented.