Waveguide CO2 laser with a power per unit length of about 1 W/cm

The electrical properties (the voltage, impedance, deposited power, and reflected power) of the plasma of a waveguide CO₂ laser pumped by an rf discharge have been found experimentally and also by numerical simulation. The energy deposition in the active medium is optimized on the basis of the results. A record high combination of lasing power and efficiency for lasers of this type has been achieved: 36 W (about 1 W/cm) at 20.3%.