cw laser action in the blue-green spectral region from Ag II

We have observed 18 cw laser transitions in Ne-Ag mixtures spanning the wavelength region from 408.6 to 585.2 nm. The upper laser levels of Ag II are judged to be pumped by a charge-transfer reaction between a ground-state neon ion and a ground-state Ag I atom resulting in simultaneous ionization and excitation of the silver atom. Output characteristics of the Ag II laser transitions as a function of neon pressure and discharge current are presented. The two strongest transitions are 478.8 and 502.7 nm in the blue and green, respectively.