A self-consistent model for high repetition rate copper vapor lasers

A computer model for a high repetition rate copper vapor laser is described. Equations for the discharge pulse, laser pulse, and interpulse afterglow period are simultaneously integrated over many discharge cycles until a consistent solution is obtained. In this way, consistent initial conditions are obtained and many scaling characteristics of the copper laser are successfully reproduced. This is a major improvement over models which consider only a single-laser pulse. By modeling both an ideal and real laser, and comparing the results to experimental data, we have determined that the peak-elctron temperature and the initial density of metastable copper are the factors which dominate the performance of the laser. Processes which effect these two quantities are therefore the most important in describing the laser.