Properties of unstable resonators with field rotation. II. Experimental results

An experimental investigation was made of the properties of an unstable mirror resonator with field rotation using cw and pulsed CO₂ lasers. It was found that the field density in a laser with a transverse relaxing active-medium flow can be equalized using an unstable resonator with field rotation (URFR). The first results of an experiment involving the bidding of a URFR with an output beam having a compact cross-sectional profile are reported.