High-energy laser system

Abstract

A high-energy TE laser system, includes an excitation circuit, 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 homogenous 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, the strip conductor capacitors including plates and dielectric layers disposed between the plates extended substantially normal to the optical axis of the laser head, forming a capacitor stack stacked substantially parallel to the optical axis of the laser head, the plates being connected in the pulse-forming network, the pulse-forming network being a Blumlein circuit in which at least one plate of the second strip conductor capacitor is connected to one of the laser electrodes, and the plates being divided into n adjacent plate sections having n-1 partings respectively disposed therebetween, and coupling inductances conductively connecting the plate sections to each other. Otherwise, the pulse-forming network is a charge-transfer circuit in which at least a partial surface of the plates of the first and second strip conductor capacitors are connected in common to one of the laser electrodes.