Optically pumped 16-μm CO2 laser

Abstract

A potentially useful 16-μm CO2 laser, oscillating on the [10°0,02°0]II to 0110 transition, is described. The v=1→v=0 lines from an HBr chemical laser were used to pump a low-pressure mixture of HBr and CO2 gases. Vibrational energy transfer from HBr followed by a 9.6-μm stimulating pulse populated the CO2 [10°0,02°0]II level.