DIFFUSION-RELAXED WAVE-GUIDE N2 LASERS

A small-bore diffusion relaxed N2-laser (P<200 Torr) with longitudinal and transverse excitation in single- and multichannel discharge confi gurations is developed. We show that the maximum repetition rate and s pecific average power of the laser are increased with the decrease of the characteristic transverse dimension of the discharge channel. An 8 -kHz repetition rate and average power of 6.4 mW are obtained in very compact laser structures. A specific average power of about 160 mW/cm3 is achieved, that is a few times higher than that extracted from larg e-bore plasma tubes. The laser with transverse excitation produces 30- kW pulses at 500 Hz. The waveguide effect in the laser channel and its influence on the spatial distribution and coherence of the laser radi ation are also studied.