An Experimental Investigation of the Novel Unstable Resonator with a Stable Resonator Core

Abstract

A new type of laser resonator, a confocal unstable resonator with a stable core, is experimentally tested. Applying the carefully designed resonator for a relatively low gain (<1%/cm) transversely excited atmospheric pressure (TEA) CO2 laser device, the laser output performance was compared with a usual confocal unstable resonator at the same magnification value (M) of M=1.6. As predicted with the theoretical calculations, the output energy of the new resonator increased 12% and the superiority of this resonator was clearly shown.