Pressure wave attenuation due to anode mufflers in pulsed lasers

This paper addresses some new technical aspects of acoustic suppression in an open cycle pulsed laser device. An open cycle pulsed CO2 laser system has been studied in order to predict the effect of various acoustic design parameters on the cavity clearing process. More specifically, the effect of an anode muffler (commonly used for transverse wave attenuation) on the cavity generated longitudinal waves is discussed by developing numerical solutions of the flow conservation equations. The results presented in this paper suggest that such mufflers can provide an effective means of achieving rapid acoustic clearing in the laser cavity.