Efficient flashlamp-pumped UV dye laser driven by a Marx-bank generator

An efficient flashlamp-pumped UV dye laser driven by a four-stage Marx-bank generator with fast rise time is reported. An output energy of 25.2 mJ (420 kW) for 81.5-J input energy is obtained in a
p
-terphenyl dye laser at 3426 Å. Output energy and laser efficiency increase remarkably by increasing the number of stages in the Marx-bank driver without spoiling its fast rise time.