Numerical analysis of thermal self-interaction in the active medium of electron-beam-controlled CO2 lasers

The appearance and evolution of density waves formed as a result of a difference in heat release in the lasing and nonlasing zones of an electron-beam-controlled CO₂ laser is analyzed theoretically by a self-consistent solution of vibrational kinetics and hydrodynamic equations. Calculations are made of the wave amplitudes and of their propagation velocities and dependences of the characteristics of the process on the radiation intensity, energy input, and pump pulse duration are studied.