Radially and temporally resolved measurements of electron density and gas temperature in a copper-vapor laser

Accurate measurements of gas temperature and electron density in the plasma of a copper-vapor laser (CVL), under identical conditions, are presented. These parameters are deduced from the emission profiles of the first four atomic hydrogen Balmer lines. Doppler and Stark broadening are the main line broadening mechanisms under the laser operating conditions. The dependence of hydrogen line broadening on gas temperature and electron density is well established.