High precision spectroscopy of SF6 with cw high pressure tunable CO2 laser

Investigations are reported on the frequency characteristics of the cw high pressure CO₂ laser and its use for high precision spectroscopy. The problem of using a cw tunable CO₂ laser with a mixture of a few isotopes (¹²C¹⁶O₂, ¹²C¹⁸O₂, ¹²C¹⁶O¹⁸O and others) in a cw high pressure tunable CO₂ laser is discussed. Broadening of the tuning range has given us the opportunity to find seven new absorption lines of SF₆ near the transition P(20) of the 00⁰1–10⁰0 band of the CO₂ laser.