Superatmospheric double‐discharge CO2 laser

摘要

Experimental results on the operation of a Laflamme double‐discharge laser structure up to pressures of several atmospheres are presented. With an electrical energy input of 30 J/liter atm, a multimode pulse output of 1 J is obtained at 6 atm from a 1/3‐liter active volume, containing 7.5% CO2, 7.5% N2, and 85% He. It is found that a high level of energy deposition into the CO2 gas can be achieved, provided that the plasma E/p is optimized in both the main discharge and the preionizing discharge. On the basis of the understanding gained during this investigation, a ruggedized Laflamme structure capable of withstanding prolonged arcing conditions has been developed.