The design scheme of a radially convergent 30-, 70-, or 100-mu s e-bea
m-pumped laser with 9 or 18 1 excited volume is described. Amplitude,
temporal, and spectral characteristics of the laser output, as well as
laser thresholds in (Ar-Xe, He-Ar-Xe, He-Ne-Ar, and He-Ne-Ar-H-2) gas
mixtures have been investigated. The distribution of the specific dep
osited energy over the laser chamber cross section has been calculated
by the Monte Carlo method. The small signal gain and unsaturable loss
values of the active medium were measured for a Penning plasma Ne las
er at lambda = 0.585 mu m.