Abstract:
An experimental investigation was made of the reflection by a nonlinearity from gain saturation in the active medium of a TEA CO2 laser under degenerate four-wave mixing conditions. A new mechanism of relaxation of the response to such a nonlinearity was identified and processes with submicrosecond and subnanosecond relaxation times were found in CO2. The saturation intensities for these processes and the conditions for achieving high reflection intensities as a result of such a mixing were determined.