Discharge-pumped gas laser with independent preionizing circuit

A discharge-pumped gas laser comprising:

• main discharge means for producing a main electric discharge in a laser gas in a main discharge region to excite the laser gas for laser emission,
• said main discharge means comprising a switching element for starting the main electric discharge, a charging circuit including a charging capacitor for storing an electric energy to operate said switching element, a peaking capacitor for storing the electric energy stored in said charging capacitor of said charging circuit by action of said switching element, and a discharging circuit including a pair of main discharge electrodes between which said main discharge region is defined for discharging the electric energy stored in said peaking capacitor to cause the main electric discharge in the laser gas in said main discharge region;
• and
• preionizing means for preionizing the laser gas in said main discharge region prior to the main electric discharge caused by the electric energy which is discharged by said main discharge electrodes of said discharging circuit,
• said preionizing means being arranged independent of said main discharge means, and
• said preionizing means comprising a plurality of preionizing electrodes for producing a preionizing discharge to preionize the laser gas, and a plurality of distributing capacitors for respectively storing a preionizing energy to enable said preionizing electrodes to preionize the laser gas, said distributing capacitors having approximately equal capacitances to supply uniform electric currents to said preionizing electrodes, and the whole sum of the equal capacitances of said distributing capacitors being smaller than a capacitance of said charging capacitor of said charging circuit.