Experiments on a Far Infrared CN Laser

Abstract
The characteristics of a CN laser with an external mirror operated with the pulsed or d.c. discharges are described. The maximum laser output power is obtained with a coupling mirror of suitable dimension. The laser can oscillate when a metal mesh is used as a resonator mirror. Data on the laser output vs. gas pressure flow rate, discharge current and discharge energy are given. The oscilloscope trace of the laser output shows that the oscillations occur as a train of spikes produced during the discharge for wide pulses, while, for very narrow current pulses, the oscillations occur in the afterglow period of the discharge and they consist only of a single peak.