Short-pulse generation at 10 microm in an active cw-injected ring laser cavity

Continuous coherent light conversion in a train of short pulses with good efficiency is possible with a multipass interferometer in which the frequency is shifted at every pass with an acousto-optic frequency shifter. This technique allows one to generate a spectrum made of equidistant components, interferences of which build intense light pulses. Unfortunately, both the width and efficiency of the pulses are limited by the losses undergone by the waves traveling through the interferometer cavity. Improvement of the pulse duration, the peak intensity, and the contrast can be expected in such an experiment when an amplifier is set up inside the cavity. I report on theoretical computations related to this apparatus and apply this theoretical model to a high-pressure CO2 amplifier.