Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

In this work a copper hollow cathode discharge laser was designed and built to utilize copper transitions parameters for laser investigation. A suitable D.C pulse power was constructed particularly to operate this system. The cathode is a free oxygen copper operated in evacuated glass tube and helium in low pressure used as buffer gas. The relation between the pressure and discharge current was investigated and the optimum values obtained at 1.96A for the discharge current and 28 mbar for the pressure of the discharge regime. The spectral lines of the wavelengths 479.72nm, 510.64nm, 558.64nm and 656.61nm were obtained from the spectrum of the emitted intensity have a potential to be laser lines in addition to, possible laser line transitions in the infrared region at wavelengths 782.36 nm. The wavelength of 510.8 nm was selected through a green filter to be oscillated as laser pulses. The maximum output energy of the laser pulse measured by an energy meter is 1.75 m J. The pulse repetition rate measured was 0.670 KHz with pulse duration of 1.4ms.
Keywords: hollow cathode, copper ion, pulse power, electrical discharge