An extensive programme of experimental diagnostics has been undertaken to further our understanding of the underlying kinetics of the copper vapour laser (CVL). This has involved the direct measurement of population densities in various atomic levels as a function of time through the discharge cycle and radial position across the plasma tube, electron density, similarly resolved, and measurement of various “external” parameters such as voltage on the laser head, discharge current through the laser, output laser pulse etc. Comparison of the results of such measurement made on the conventional CVL, the same laser with hydrogen added to the buffer gas and the copper HyBrID laser have allowed us to draw a number of conclusions concerning the differences between these systems. One of the greatest values of these results, however, is in conjunction with computer modelling of the CVL plasma, and to this end a number of collaborations with modellers around the world are proving highly fruitful.
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