Electron-beam-controlled discharge excitation of a CO-C2H2 energy transfer laser

Abstract
Laser emission in the 8‐μm ν2‐ν5 band of C2H2 has been observed in electron‐beam‐controlled discharges in CO‐C2H2 mixtures. Line tunability within the P and Q branches has been demonstrated using a grating‐controlled cavity. Spectroscopic measurements of the free‐running C2H2 laser emission at pressures up to 4 atm indicate significant pressure‐broadened line overlap of the closely spaced (−1) Q‐branch lines.