Gain and saturation parameter of a waveguide CO2 laser excited by a longitudinal alternating-current capacitance discharge

A determination was made of the dependences of the small-signal gain, saturation power, and gas temperature on the discharge tube diameter, working pressure, and discharge current in a waveguide CO₂ laser excited by a longitudinal alternating-current (5–100 kHz) capacitance discharge. The results established that the scaling laws were applicable and a comparison was made of the efficiency of this excitation method with other methods.