Similarity and scaling in diffusion-cooled RF-excited carbondioxide lasers |
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Authors: | Vitruk PP Baker HJ Hall DR |
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Affiliation: | Dept. of Phys., Heriot-Watt Univ., Edinburgh; |
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Abstract: | The theoretical and experimental study of alpha RF discharges presented in this paper has resulted in the formulation of a set of similarity and scaling laws for diffusion-cooled alpha RF discharge-excited CW waveguide CO2 lasers. For the first time, the parametric dependencies of the voltage-current-power characteristics of a transverse alpha RF discharge have been investigated over a range of excitation frequencies 100-160 MHz, for gas pressures 40-100 torr and for interelectrode distances 1-3 mm in a typical waveguide CO2 laser gas mixture (He:N2Co 2=3:1:1+5 percent Xe). Relative to dc discharges, the additional scaling law fD=constant is established, and the analysis indicates both high- and low-frequency limits to the operation of practical self-similar laser devices |
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