CIRCUIT MODELING OF A 2-STAGE BLUMLEIN-DRIVEN TEA-N-2 LASER

The operation characteristics of a two-stage Blumlein circuit (TSBC), which can increase the output energy of a TEA-N-2 laser by 100% withou t embarking on spark-gap miniaturization, are investigated using a dis charge-coupled circuit model. This circuit model predicts that a TSBC can produce a laser-channel breakdown voltage of up to 1.9 V-0, as com pared with 1.5V(0) computed for a one-stage Blumlein circuit (OSBC), w here V-0 is the charging voltage. Although the gain in the breakdown v oltage is only 25%, it significantly increases the laser-channel curre nt and input power which, when compared with computed values for an OS BC, are enhanced by 2.3 and 2.6 times respectively. The computed input power, as a function of V-0, is correlated to that of the measured la ser output.