Amplification of λ=147 nm radiation from a barrier discharge in a mixture of krypton with xenon

A study was made of the spectra of the VUV radiation emitted by a barrier discharge in a mixture of krypton and xenon at a pressure of 300 Torr with the xenon concentration 10(15)-10(16) cm(-3). Amplification of radiation at the lambda = 146.9 nm wavelength of a resonant transition in the xenon atom with a gain of similar to 0.1 cm(-1) was observed. The physical model explaining this amplification was based on two main processes: the transfer of energy from excited krypton dimers to xenon atoms and amplification of the resonant xenon radiation in the wings of a collisionally broadened profile.