CO2 TEA laser discharge development—A high-speed-camera investigation

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Abstract
Discharge development processes, such as homogeneous glow formation, glow‐to‐filamentary arc transition, and arc formation, of moderate volume CO2 TEA laser medium with external ultraviolet (uv) volume preionization are studied by a high‐speed‐camera technique. The framing records in this paper supplement the earlier streak ones of CO2 TEA laser discharges of Sakai et al. The records show that instability appears as a bright spot at the cathode in the middle of the uniform glow stage, then propagates in the anode direction, keeping the shape of a bright spot or changing into a bright filament. This propagation continues even after termination of the volume‐dominated glow. The discharge development is found, from an understanding of the current waveform, to be considerably sensitive to the CO2, N2, and He composition ratio, and the pulse‐forming network and other characteristics are also studied. The glow‐to‐arc transition mechanism and the dominant contributor to suppress arc formation are discussed.

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