Attainment of a homogeneous discharge in a large-volume pulse CO2 laser

A distributed electrical discharge was established in a 20X20X30 cm volume supplied with an energy of the order of 3.2 J. It was found to be possible to use the "plasma plateau" as the main electrode. This avoided the need for a specially shaped semitransparent electrode and also increased the efficiency of preionization of the discharge gap by ultraviolet radiation; in this way a greater energy could be supplied to the plasma. Moreover, the construction of the electrode system was simplified and the dimensions of the discharge chamber were greatly reduced. The use of the proposed electrode configuration should make it possible to build simple large-aperture amplifying stages with a considerable energy output per unit volume.