Gain of a waveguide CO laser

An experimental investigation was made of the gain of a water-cooled waveguide CO laser with a static active mixture. Illumination of the waveguide with radiation from a probe laser and application of a balance method made it possible to determine the gain for different cross sections of waveguides made of ceramic BeO and of quartz. The maximum gain of 0.7 m^–1 was obtained for the P_10–9(17) transition in a waveguide made of ceramic BeO and of 1×1 mm cross section.