INFLUENCE OF DISCHARGE PROPERTIES ON CO2 LASER GAIN

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Abstract
The radial variation of small‐signal gain α0 at 10.6 μm was measured in a cylindrical, electrically excited CO2 laser amplifier. The radial‐gain profile changed markedly with increasing current. This was interpreted in terms of the dependence of gain on electron density and gas temperature. A modified Schottky analysis of the positive column was used to characterize the discharge properties. Values of electron density and gas temperature thus obtained were combined with the reported dependence of α0 on these parameters permitting calculation of the radial variation of α0. Comparison of calculated and measured values of α0 yielded good quantitative agreement, indicating that the analytical model accurately represents the features of the important physical phenomena which influence small‐signal gain. These results emphasize the necessity of maintaining a low gas temperature to achieve maximum laser performance.