Initiation of a high-power nonself-sustained volume discharge in molecular gases by ultraviolet radiation from a plasma cathode

It was found experimentally that photoionization of a gas by ultraviolet radiation emitted by a multichannel guided surface discharge generated electrons in a density sufficient for initiation of a high-current nonselfsustained discharge. The use of a surface-discharge plasma as an extended cathode gave rise to a current of 3.6 A/cm² density in a nonself-sustained discharge in nitrogen. This volume discharge method should find application in high-power CO₂ lasers.