N₂O laser pumped by a self-sustained volume discharge

An investigation was made of the parameters of an N₂O laser pumped by a self-sustained volume discharge with the aim of improving the output characteristics of this laser. The discharge was ignited as a result of a preliminary filling of the discharge gap with electrons and preionization of the gas in the gap by a low-current beam of accelerated electrons. In this way it was possible to reach an output energy up to 465 J, a specific output energy up to 16.4 J · liter ^− 1 · atm ^− 1, and an efficiency of 6.7%, all of which exceeded the earlier values reported for N₂O lasers pumped by a self-sustained volume discharge.