M. G. Galushkin, V. S. Golubev, Yu. N. Zavalov, A. A. Ionin, A. A. Kotkov, P. V. Korolenko, V. Ya. Panchenko, V. D. Dubrov, S. A. Buyarov, R. V. Grishaev, “Turbulent structure of the active medium of a fast-flow CO<sub>2</sub> laser”, Kvantovaya Elektronika, 2003, Volume 33, Number 8,Pages <nobr>671

This article is cited in 2 papers

Special issue devoted to the memory of academician A M Prokhorov

Turbulent structure of the active medium of a fast-flow CO₂ laser

M. G. Galushkin^a, V. S. Golubev^a, Yu. N. Zavalov^a, A. A. Ionin^b, A. A. Kotkov^b, P. V. Korolenko^c, V. Ya. Panchenko^a, V. D. Dubrov^a, S. A. Buyarov^a, R. V. Grishaev^a

^a Institute on Laser and Information Technologies, Russian Academy of Scienses, Shatura, Moscow Region
^b P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow
^c Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Physics

Abstract: The characteristics of turbulent pulsations of the gas density and velocity and the structural characteristic of fluctuations of the refractive index C_n² in the gaseous-mixture flow of a fast-axial-flow CO₂ laser are determined using optical diagnostic methods: the luminescence, interferometry, and degenerate four-wave mixing techniques. The influence of a gas discharge and lasing on turbulent small-scale optical inhomogeneities of the active medium is investigated. It is shown that, in the presence of a gas discharge and laser oscillation, the inhomogeneities appreciably increase due to nonlinear effects of a local heat release in the thermodynamically nonequilibrium turbulent gaseous medium.

PACS: 42.55.Lt

Received: 23.01.2003