Investigation of infrared stimulated emission from a transversely excited N2 discharge laser

Experimental investigations were made of the mechanisms of the population inversion and depletion of an infrared transition in N₂, of the role of field effects in the formation of infrared stimulated emission pulses, and of the dependence of spectral-time characteristics of infrared emission on the gas pressure. Stimulated infrared emission was observed at a pressure of 0.5 atm in pure nitrogen and at 1.5 atm on a N₂ + He mixture. A comparison was made with the results obtained for a laser excited by a longitudinal discharge. An analysis was made of the possibility of constructing of a continuously tunable infrared-emitting molecular nitrogen laser.