Performance characteristics of a helical TEA CO2 laser

Abstract
Cavity misalignment of a helical TEA CO2 laser, due to thermal bending of the beam, as well as thermal focusing effects has been observed. The spectral distribution of the energy is found to be invariant with gas mixtures, and the optimum N2 : CO2 ratio for peak power output is shown to be 1 : 1, with the addition of He being of no apparent value.