Use of intense relativistic electron beams to pump VUV lasers

Abstract
Evidence is given to suggest that intense relativistic electron beams will find application as energy sources for pumping high‐power vacuum ultraviolet lasers. A simple model of a stationary oxygen plasma was set up. When pulse heated, the plasma underwent a temperature evolution in close correspondence with measured values obtained in a plasma‐heating experiment using a pulsed relativistic electron beam. In addition, a transient gain sufficient to produce amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) was calculated for the 3p→3s transitions in O III. The width of the gain curve was comparable to the width of experimentally measured uv laser pulses produced from an oxygen plasma having roughly the same density as in the plasma‐heating experiment.