Pulse-periodic and cw CO2 lasers pumped with a self-sustained pulsed discharge for use in heat processing

A description is given of the construction and radiation characteristics of fast-flow pulse-periodic (with an output power of up to 3.5 kW) and cw (up to 1.8 kW) CO₂ lasers excited by a selfsustained pulsed discharge. For the first time, a laser pulse duration of up to 5 msec was obtained and a cw modulated output regime was realized when the active medium was excited with short (1–3μsec) discharge pulses. Examples are given of the use of such lasers for heat processing.