Multistage gas-discharge CO2 laser with convective cooling

In a CW CO2 laser of the type discussed, cooling is achieved by cyclic displacement of the discharge and lasing area with respect to the working medium which is made to pass through several discharge gaps. This design is free of the constraints placed by the linear gas velocity on the pulse repetition rate and mean output power of conventional convective lasers. The dynamics of the laser action of the system under consideration is analyzed within the framework of a relatively simple theoretical model. Some parameters of the laser action are plotted against the electron density in the discharge.