| Abstract: | The dependence of the radiated power on the characteristics of optical cavities in the case of flow systems has been investigated in a number of papers 1–3], in which it is assumed that population inversion of the laser levels is obtained until entry into the cavity. The operation of a cavity is analyzed in 1] in the geometric-optical approximation with allowance for vibrational relaxation in the gas flow. A simplified system of relaxation equations is solved under steady-state lasing conditions and an expression derived for the laser output power on the assumption of constant temperature, density, and flow speed. The vibrational relaxation processes in the cavity itself are ignored in 2, 3]. It is shown in those studies that the solution has a singularity at the cavity input within the context of the model used. In the present article the performance characteristics of a CO2-N2-He gas-dynamic laser with a plane cavity are calculated. A set of equations describing the processes in the cavity is analyzed and solved numerically. Population inversion of the CO2 laser levels is created by pre-expansion of the given mixture through a flat hyperbolic nozzle. The dependence of the output power on the reflectivities of the mirrors, the cavity length, the pressure, and the composition of the active gas medium is determined.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi FiziM, No. 5, pp. 33–40, September–October, 1972. |
