Steady multiply pulsed discharge-heated copper-vapor laser with copper halide lasant

Discharge-heated radiation-cooled operation of a copper-vapor laser (CVL) using copper chloride and copper iodide as the lasant has been maintained for periods of over an hour. Maximum power was over 4 W and system efficiency over 0.3 percent. Discharge tube temperature of up to 800°C and beam-size reduction to less than half the tube inside diameter (ID) have also been observed.