Large-Diameter CO2 Laser Facility for Testing Optical Resonators

摘要

A closed-cycle Co2 laser facility with a clear aperture diameter of 18.7 cm was developed for testing large diameter optical resonators designed for use with cylindrical chemical lasers that have an annular gain region. In this report, the considerations that lead to the present laser facility design are discussed, and the results of the open-cycle tests that established the feasibility of the design are presented. The closed-cycle gas flow system and the high-voltage electrical discharge circuits are described, the operating parameters are given, and the results of some gas flow and electrical discharge measurements are presented. The performance of the facility was established by gain measurements and by the game quality obtained with several resonators. (Author)