Abstract
The continuous CO2 laser with its high efficiency of above 10% may be considered as the most practical laser. Its construction and operation are relatively simple. The positive column of the electrical discharge in a cylindrical tube plays a central role in the production of a high gain medium in a CO2 laser gas mixture. The production rate of the inverted medium depends on the electrical discharge parameters, the cooling properties of the medium, and the partial pressures of the gas components. The success of continuous laser operation has become possible because of the understanding of the molecular glow discharge behavior in a cylindrical tube. Since the laser process is between low lying vibrational levels, the temperature profile and the cooling of the inverted medium is also very important.
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© 1987 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Witteman, W.J. (1987). Continuous Discharge Lasers. In: The CO2 Laser. Springer Series in Optical Sciences, vol 53. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-47744-0_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-47744-0_4
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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