Electron-beam excitation of vacuum ultraviolet hydrogen laser

Stimulated emission of the Lyman-Band transitions of H2 near 1600 Å has been achieved using a commercial electron-beam generator as an energy source. A 104 A, 3 ns pulse of 400 keV electrons propagated 1.5m, through H2 at pressures of 10-100 torr. Electron-molecule collisions produced inversion and superradiance at the kW power level. © 1972.