41.8-nm Xe⁸⁺ laser driven in a plasma waveguide

The results of the first experimental demonstration of a short-wavelength laser driven within a gas-filled capillary-discharge waveguide were described. The xenon gas was mixed with the hydrogen and strong lasing on the 4d ⁹5d-4d⁹5p transition in Xe⁸⁺ at 41.8 nm was observed. Analysis shows that lasing was strongly correlated with good guiding of the pump pulse and numerical simulations indicate that gain is likely to have been achieved over a significant fraction of the 30 mm length of the capillary. The success of this proof-of-principle experiment suggests that this and other short-wavelength lasers could be driven within waveguides of this type, leading to increased energy output and reduced beam divergence.