Pulsed electric-discharge $CO_2$ laser for use in research

A description is given of a pulsed electric-discharge high-pressure $CO_2$ laser for laboratory use: its outputbeam characteristics can be varied over a wide range. By making the electrode system in the form of sections with independent power supplies it was possible to control the length of the active part and to generate two or more consecutive pulses having a given delay. By choosing the gas mixture composition, stable control of the duration and shape of the output pulse was achieved. A study was made of the dependence of the small-signal gain of the active medium on time and on the total pressure in the gas mixture for various gas component ratios. The results were analyzed on the basis of a simplified model of the kinetic processes in the discharge.