Ultraviolet lasing on Au/sup +/ lines in an He-Au pulsed longitudinal nanosecond discharge

The laser characteristics of a gold ion laser oscillating on the 282.2-, 284.7-, 289.3-, and 291.8-nm lines are reported. The laser is excited in a longitudinal nanosecond pulsed discharge. Quasi-cw laser generation of 270-mW average output power and 33%/m small-signal gain are obtained for the strongest line of 282.2 nm. This average output power corresponds to a peak pulsed power of 3.9 W. The reported laser promises various prospects for scientific and technological applications.