Laser power and gain measurements on the sequence bands of CO2

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Abstract
An experimental technique is reported which converts a conventional cw CO2 laser into one which lases on a series of new laser bands. These bands are identified as the (0002–[1001,0201]I,II) and the (0003–[1002,0202]I,II) sequence bands of CO2, and lie in the 10‐μm wavelength region. The technique involves placing a cell containing hot CO2 in the laser cavity to suppress the regular 0001 bands. We report the first detailed power and gain measurements on the new laser bands. More than 80 laser lines have been observed in the 0002 bands, with cw output powers as high as 10 W. Gain measurements are reported for a variety of discharge conditions, and gain coefficients greater than 0.3%/cm have been obtained. We have also observed several laser lines in the 0003 sequence band of CO2. Possible applications of the new laser lines are discussed, particularly their use in determining vibrational temperatures in CO2 discharges.