Q SWITCHING OF THE CARBON MONOXIDE LASER

Abstract

Peak powers of from 1 to 7.7 kW have been obtained from a Q‐switched CO‐air‐He laser with 120 cm of active medium. The energy of the Q‐switched pulse was distributed in approximately 60 lines with wavelengths from 5.05 to 6.20 μ. Use of a grating as a cavity wavelength selector enabled single line operation, with peak powers up to 280 W in some transitions. A measurement of the laser recovery time and the CO vibrational temperature for the V = 7 → V = 6 band is reported.