Pulsed transverse-discharge carbon dioxide laser without an active-mixture replenishment system (sealed regime)

A description is given of a pulsed TEA CO₂ laser having no system for replenishing the active mixture. Prolonged operation in the sealed regime (more than 500 h) was achieved by lowering the pressure of the active mixture, the volume discharge then being considerably more stable, with respect to the oxygen formed by dissociation, than at atmospheric pressure. The small divergence of the radiation beam (~1 mrad), the low supply voltage (≤20 kV), the long service life, and the compact size of the laser make it suitable for various research and metrological applications.