High-Power Single-Tube Sr Vapor Laser Oscillating in the Mid-IR Spectral Range

A large-bore Sr vapor laser excited in a nanosecond pulsed longitudinal discharge is reported. The optimal discharge conditions for achieving a maximal average output power at several Sr atom and ion lines in the mid-IR spectral range are determined. High average output power of 29 W (at 25 kHz pulse repetition frequency) and laser pulse energy of 2.9 mJ (at 5 kHz pulse repetition frequency) are obtained at the multiline operation. These values are more than two times better than the ones achieved so far with a single-tube strontium or strontium halide vapor lasers.