SPECTROSCOPY WITH A TESLA COIL

Abstract

$^{1}$A.K. Hui, M. R. McKeever, and J. Tellinghuisen, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer (in press).Author Institution:For several years we have been using a Telsa discharge to produce emission from molecular and excimer systems of interest in laser development. This source has proved very useful because of its low cost, low discharge temperature. The light emitted from a Telsa discharge consists of roughly $10^{3}$ pulses/s, each having a width of from 0.5 to 5 $\mu$s, depending on the design of the coil. Total photon production for the rare gas halides is typified by the value of $2 \times 10^{12}$ quanta/pulse (average radiant power 1 mW) measured for the $B \rightarrow X$ system of XeCL. Rotational intensity $measurements^{1}$ on the 0-0 band of the O-H $A \rightarrow X$ system yield discharge temperatures only 10-30 K above the measured wall temperatures for T = 300-800 K and P = 100-700 torr