Laser line selection in an electric-discharge CO laser

A study was made of the operation of a low-pressure CO laser using a single vibrational–rotational transition, the laser lines being selected by a diffraction grating and a Fabry–Perot etalon in the resonator. Comparison of the output powers of the individual laser lines with selective and nonselective resonators showed that intracavity selection increased the power in the long-wavelength part of the CO laser emission spectrum.