Electron Radiation Temperature Measurements in a CO2 Laser Amplifier

Abstract
An experiment is described which shows that no significant variation in average electron energy is associated with changes in optical gain in a 10.6 μm laser amplifier containing CO2 mixed with N2 and He. A microwave technique for measuring the average electron energy has been developed, using a 4‐mm‐bore discharge tube sealed by NaCl windows and enclosed in an X‐band waveguide section.