High-pressure electric-discharge CO2 laser

An investigation was made of an electric-discharge CO₂ laser with a volume preionization by an auxiliary discharge through a a dielectric. A low-resistance circuit was used to supply the main discharge. Stimulated emission was observed at pressures up to 13 atm in the mixture. The spectral composition of the output radiation and the nature of its pulsations were investigated as a function of the pressure and composition of the mixture. Consideration was given to the possibility of constructing continuously tunable and highpower lasers on the basis of the method described.