Metastable states relaxation in the active medium of metal vapor lasers

Abstract

One of the main reasons for limiting the frequency-energy characteristics (FEC) of radiation from lasers based on self limited transitions of metal atoms (LSTM) is the high values of the prepulse electron concentration and metastable states population of metal atoms in the active medium. Which of these parameters determines the limitation of the frequency energy characteristics of laser radiation has been the subject of a long discussion, although it is well known that metastable states are very effectively quenched in collisions with electrons