Efficiency of an electric-discharge N2 laser

An investigation was made of the dependence of the efficiency of an N₂ laser on the main parameters of a self-sustained discharge, on the electric excitation circuit, and on the gas mixture. Experiments showed that the output radiation energy was proportional to the pump power reaching the active medium at a moment when the voltage across the self-sustained discharge plasma was at its maximum. The maximum output energy was reached at a nitrogen pressure at which the pump power and the voltage across the plasma reached their maximum values simultaneously. The dependence of the laser efficiency on the parameter ZC, representing the duration of a pump pulse, was determined.