Analysis of the Transmission “Window” Formation in the Electrooptical Switch of Laser Pulses With Plasma Electrodes

A process of plasma electrodes and optical transmission “window” formation in electrooptical switch (Pockels cell) of high-power laser radiation pulses is studied experimentally and analyzed numerically. A 2-D computer model of a gas discharge, forming the electrodes and allowing for the charged particles transport and reactions kinetics in self-consistent electric field is developed. A time dependence of the optical transmission in various points of the cross section of the cell operating in the two-pulse mode is computed. In the cell center, the calculated dependence is consistent with the optical transmission oscilloscope trace.