Method and apparatus for secondary laser pumping by electron beam excitation

Apparatus for producing substantially monochromatic radiation by action of an electron beam, the apparatus comprising:

• a source of electrons;
• a cathode for accelerating the electrons, operatively associated with the source;
• an anode adjacent to but spaced from the cathode, the anode being capable of transmitting highly energetic electrons;
• a fluorescer gas, present at a partial pressure of at most 50 torr, containing buffering molecules and containing molecules capable of fluorescence in a narrow band with FWHM no more than 250 A near a frequency .nu..sub.1, in the ultraviolet region of the electromagnetic spectrum below 2500 A through excitation by energetic electrons incident upon the gas, adjacent to the anode and insulated from contact with the cathode;
• first container means, operatively associated with the anode, for containing the fluorescer gas;
• a second gas, containing buffering molecules and containing molecules capable of being photolytically dissociated to form an excited species in response to incident ultraviolet radiation from the fluorescer gas, which will emit substantially monochromatic radiation near frequency .nu..sub.2 ;
• and
• second container means, adjacent to but spaced from the anode, for separating the second gas from the fluorescer gas and the accelerated electrons, which means is substantially transparent to the fluorescence radiation, whereby the second gas emits substantially monochromatic radiation near frequency .nu..sub.2 in a chosen direction.