Fast Electrical Discharge Research Articles

Voltage-current characteristics of fast discharges in a HeCo 2 gas mixture

The voltage-current characteristic of a fast electric discharge in a HeCO 2 gas mixture was measured as a function of initial voltage, pulse energy, and CO 2-content. The results show how the electric energy is shared between excitation and ionization of the gas molecules, and the crucial role played by the inductance in the discharge circuit.

TRANSVERSELY EXCITED ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE CO2 LASERS

Laser action at 10. 6 μm has been achieved in CO2–N2–He gas mixtures at all pressures up to atmospheric by means of fast electrical discharges transverse to the laser axis. The atmospheric pressure of operation is very promising as the laser energy per pulse increases with pressure and the average power per unit volume is proportional to the square of the operating pressure. A brief description of a simple laser of this type, operating at atmospheric pressure is given along with some of the major achievements to date using this technique.

Report on high-speed photography

The application of Kerr cells, image converters, rotating mirror cameras and drum cameras to the photography of fast electrical discharges is critically discussed. The performance of representative examples of each of these techniques is given quantitatively.