PULSED BEHAVIOR AND INVERSION MECHANISM IN THE CARBON MONOXIDE LASER

Abstract
Time delay of lasing transitions in carbon monoxide was investigated at 77 °K under pulsed electrical excitation. Inversion is attributed to anharmonic decoupling which makes v‐v relaxation ineffective for levels above a value ve=1 + kT/hcexe. Initial lasing occurs near ve with subsequent transitions resulting from cascading inversions. Measured delays ranged from 15 to 240 μ sec with undercoupled output up to 1.2 W.