Electric-discharge CO2 laser with a vortex gas flow

The operation of a cw electric-discharge CO₂ laser, using a glow discharge in a gas stream set into a swirling motion in a vortex tube to create the active medium, was investigated experimentally. The cooling of the active zone was shown to be of the same nature as that in a diffusively cooled laser. Turbulent heat conduction contributed in addition to molecular heat conduction in removing heat from the active region of the discharge. The energy characteristics per unit length were a factor of 2–2.5 higher than those of a diffusively cooled laser. A stable glow discharge in air at a pressure of 200 Torr was also realized. Current densities above 1 A/cm² and a specific input energy of greater than 800 J/liter were achieved for a discharge in a CO₂:N₂:He = 1:3:7 gas mixture at a pressure of 37 Torr.