Radiance enhancement of the 16-μm CF_4 laser

Abstract
The spectral radiance and quantum yield of the CF4 laser operating at 16 μm have been increased more than an order of magnitude by narrowing the frequency bandwidth of the CO2 pump laser and by telescopically matching the pump radiation to the lowest-order mode of the 16-μm resonator. The temporal and spectral characteristics of the radiation, as well as the optical gain of the laser, have been determined.