Gas temperature in the discharge plasma of a carbon monoxide laser

Thermocouple, interferometric, and spectroscopic measurements were made of the gas temperature in the discharge plasma of a CO laser operating at room temperature and using a CO : N₂: He : Xe : O₂=1 : 5 : 24 : 1 : 0.04 mixture. The measurements were carried out for different values of the discharge current, gas pressure, and power supply. The experimental data were compared with the results deduced by solving the heat balance equation.