High‐power visible laser action in neutral atomic fluorine

Atomic fluorine is produced by dissociation of NF3 in a fast‐pulsed electrical discharge in helium. High‐power laser action is observed, with 70 kW on five lines near 7100 A, all of which are assigned to electronic transitions in neutral atomic fluorine. Two of the laser lines are reported here for the first time. Some scalability appears possible for this laser, which already has proven to be an excellent pump source for infrared laser dyes.