High-energy te laser system

Abstract

A high-energy TE laser system, includes an excitation circuit having supply lines, a laser head having an optical axis, a laser chamber with a gas space formed therein, at least two laser electrodes being disposed opposite each other and spaced apart in the laser chamber parallel to the optical axis of the laser head for producing an arc-free capacitor discharge between the electrodes being as homogeneous as possible in the gas space for excitation, at least one rapid high-voltage switch, a pulse-forming network connected to the rapid high-voltage switch for producing high-voltage pulses at the laser electrodes with the rapid high-voltage switch, the pulse-forming network including first and second strip conductor capacitors respectively associated with the rapid high-voltage switch and with the laser head, and the pulse-forming network including first and second equivalent inductances of the excitation circuit formed of self-inductances of the high-voltage switch, the laser head, the supply lines of the excitation circuit and the strip conductor capacitors, the pulse-forming network being a Blumlein circuit for a given maximum build-up time of the high-voltage pulses produced at the laser electrodes, the first strip conductor capacitor having a capacitance being less than the capacitance of the second strip conductor capacitor by a factor k<1, and the first equivalent inductance being connected in series with the first strip conductor capacitor and having an inductance being greater than the inductance of the second equivalent inductance by a factor .sup.1 /k. The pulse-forming network may also be a charge transfer circuit.