Thermophysical Model of Metal-Vapor Lasers with Discharge Chambers of Cylindrical and Coaxial Geometry

A thermophysical model and a technique for calculating the gas temperature in the active volume of a metal-vapor laser and of the construction elements of discharge chambers are presented. Results of comparative thermal calculations of the coaxial and cylindrical discharge chambers of the laser are given. The temperature dependences of the gas thermal conductivity, radial distribution of heat release, and the radiative heat exchange between the coaxial cylinders are taken into account. Formulas for calculation of the central-insert temperature have been derived. The possibility of eliminating superheating of the working substance and enhancing output characteristics of large-volume copper vapor lasers due to the use of a coaxial construction of discharge chambers has been demonstrated numerically.