Electron-beam-controlled closed-cycle cw CO2 laser
An electron-beam-controlled cw CO2 laser was provided with gas-mixture regeneration, which enabled radiation at a wavelength of 10.6 μ to be obtained with a power of 10 kW and an overall laser efficiency of about 5%. Experimental investigations were made of the electrical characteristics of a nonselfsustaining discharge in a CO2+N2+He+Xe+CO gas mixture subjected to various heating regimes. It was established that the addition to the mixture of small quantities (about 1%) of the gases Xe and CO substantially (by 30–50%) increased the limiting power of the nonself-sustaining discharge and, therefore, the output power and efficiency of the laser. An analysis was made of the dependence of the laser output power on the pump power, pressure, composition, and flow rate of the gas mixture.