Abstract

Recent proposals for short wavelength (< 1000 Å) lasers¹ have indicated a need for new types of electric discharge devices which produce significant densities of highly excited atoms and ions. In particular, the proposal of Harris¹ for a laser at 200 Å using the doubly excited states of lithium requires the production of excited atoms in states with ~ 60 eV energy at densities ≥ 10¹² atoms/cm³. This Letter reports the operation of a pulsed hollow cathode discharge (HCD) which creates population densities of 4 × 10¹² ions/cm³in the lithium ion 1s2s ³s level at 59 eV above the ion ground state, Li⁺ (1s^{2 1}S). Population densities of other relevant levels as well as electrical characteristics of the HCD have been measured.

© 1982 Optical Society of America