Apparatus for investigating stimulated emission from explosively formed metal vapors

Apparatus was developed for investigating stimulated emission from metal vapors formed as a result of electric explosions of metal wires. The excitation was provided by a transverse discharge. A specific power output of 32 kW/cm³ and a specific energy output of 0.64 mJ/cm³ were obtained from the copper vapor. The dependences of the output power on the delay between the wire explosion and the excitation and on the interelectrode gap were determined.