Abstract

Pulsed hollow-cathode discharges (HCDS) have been used for some time to populate efficiently inner-shell-excited atomic and ionic levels.^1,2 At the same time, a number of short-wavelength laser systems have been proposed which make use of such levels. For example, a system in cesium has been recently described that would result in laser emission at 109.1 nm.³ Laser systems of this type require higher densities of excited atoms (or ions) than have been produced by previous pulsed HCD prototypes.^1,2 We have constructed and operated a pulsed HCD that results in an order of magnitude increase in the populations that can be produced in the excited Cs II levels chosen as test levels to evaluate the performance of this device.

© 1986 Optical Society of America