Investigation of pulsed lasing due to a 472.2-nm self-terminating transition in the bismuth atom at low buffer gas pressures

An investigation was made of the excitation conditions and characteristics of lasing due to the 472.2-nm self-terminating transition in a bismuth atom. At low (0.5–6 Torr) neon pressures, lasing occurred over the complete section of the gas-discharge tube when using an exit mirror with a ~35% reflection coefficient.