New method for the excitation of a homogeneous discharge in a high-pressure CO2 laser

A new method is proposed for the excitation of a homogeneous discharge in a high-pressure gas laser. It is shown that, under the experimental conditions employed, the preionization process is dominated by electrons which are formed in a preliminary discharge and penetrate into the cathode region of the main discharge. An important role is played by the photoionization processes in a "double-discharge" scheme utilizing a preliminary corona discharge.