Modeling of the NRL Electra Electron-Beam Pumped Argon Fluoride Laser

This work is focused on numerical modeling of an
$\mathrm {ArF}^{\ast} $
laser operating on the
Electra
electron beam (e-beam) facility at the Naval Research Laboratory. The results are based on a suite of codes that includes electron kinetics derived from the electron Boltzmann equation, plasma chemistry, lasing amplification, and 3-D radiation transport. The mechanisms of formation and destruction of
$\mathrm {ArF}^{\ast} $
molecules have been investigated. Time-dependent laser parameters, such as small signal gain, nonsaturable absorption, saturation intensity, and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and their dependence on e-beam power deposition in the range of 0.5–1 MW/cm
³
, gas pressure of 0.8–1.4 atm, and F
₂
concentration of 0.1%–3.0%, are investigated. The modeling results show that the
$\mathrm {ArF}^{\ast} $
laser is an efficient and coherent light source at 193 nm ultraviolet wavelength.