Influence of preionization on the discharge characteristics of a CO2 laser

An investigation was made of the formation of a bulk discharge in pure N₂ and CO₂ gases and in laser mixtures of systems with preliminary ionization by ultraviolet radiation. The influence of the energy received from a preionizer was studied. It was found that there was a threshold density of initial photoelectrons above which the main discharge was of bulk nature. An increase in this density by raising the energy supplied to the auxiliary (preionization) discharge did not alter greatly the characteristics of the main discharge.