Acoustic vibrations in the gas-discharge chamber of a fast-flow pulse-periodic laser

A theoretical analysis and numerical calculation are made of the two-dimensional problem of the establishment of gas density perturbations in an interelectrode gap as a result of pulse-periodic energy release in a discharge. It is shown that from the fifth to seventh pulse onward the structures of the gas density distributions (and of other gasdynamic parameters) and of the energy input are restored by the start of the next pulse. It is concluded that these inhomogeneities are responsible for the lowering of the average laser output power, which is in agreement with experiment.