Characteristics of a cw electron-beam-controlled $CO_2$ laser employing a cooled active mixture

It is shown that precooling the active mixture in a cw electron-beam-controlled $CO_2$ laser makes it possible to raise considerably the optimal operating pressure (by a factor of 5-10) and the output energy per unit volume (by a factor of 3-5). A scheme is proposed in which a refrigerating unit is incorporated within the gasdynamic loop. This scheme enables laser systems of greatly reduced size to be produced.