Intense high-pressure sequence-band CO_2 laser

Abstract

We have obtained temporally smooth, single-line megawatt output from the (0,0 degrees,2) --> [(1,0 degrees,1), (0,2 degrees,1)]1 sequence band in an 1800-Torr CO2 double-discharge laser. These lines were first observed by Reid and Siemsen in a low-pressure discharge at subwatt power outputs [Appl. Phys. Lett. 29, 250 (1976)]. The intense 10-gm region laser transitions reported here may be useful for selective molecular excitation, for nonlinear optics experiments where wavelengths of the usual C02 transitions are inappropriate, and for long-path atmospheric transmission.