EFFICIENCY OF AN ELECTRIC-DISCHARGE N-2 LASER

An investigation was made of the dependence of the efficiency of an N- 2 laser on the main parameters of a self-sustained discharge, on the e lectric excitation circuit, and on the gas mixture. Experiments showed that the output radiation energy was proportional to the pump power r eaching the active medium at a moment when the voltage across the self -sustained discharge plasma was at its maximum. The maximum output ene rgy was reached at a nitrogen pressure at which the pump power and the voltage across the plasma reached their maximum values simultaneously . The dependence of the laser efficiency on the parameter ZC, represen ting the duration of a pump pulse, was determined.