Excitation of an atmospheric-pressure CO2-N2-He laser by capacitor discharges

The design of a new type of atmospheric pressure CO2-N2-He laser capable of producing 1.2-J infrared light pulses with a peak power of 0.5 MW is described. An investigation of the laser output dependence on gas flow, gas mixture, capacitor voltage, output coupling reflectivity, and electrode spacing was made. It is shown that even greater energies and powers should be possible at higher voltages and larger electrode gaps.