Abstract

There is continuing interest in pulsed, moderate energy (0.1 10 J) moderate-repetition-rate (10–500 Hz) CO₂ lasers for laser radar applications such as long-range tracking, wind-speed measurement, and remote atmospheric sensing. Previous studies with pulses in their regime have used uv-preionized, recirculating TEA lasers.¹ The uv-preionized approach suffers from limited sealed-off lifetime because of the requirement for gas catalysis and difficulties in applying hard-seal technology to a recirculating laser device. An alternative approach to operation in this regime uses pulsed-rf pumping to achieve high-pressure, diffuse discharges without the need for preionization.²

© 1991 Optical Society of America