Computer simulation of cw 16-microm CO(2) gasdynamic laser

Area of Science:

• Laser Physics
• Gasdynamic Lasers
• Infrared Spectroscopy

Background:

• Conventional CO2 gasdynamic lasers (GDLs) are crucial for various applications.
• Optimizing GDL performance, particularly at specific wavelengths like 16 micrometers, remains an active research area.
• Understanding the interaction between saturating beams and gain media is key to enhancing laser output.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the performance of a continuous wave (cw) 16-micrometer laser.
• To investigate the effect of injecting a 9.4-micrometer saturating beam on the 16-micrometer gain in a CO2 GDL.
• To determine the optimal conditions for maximizing 16-micrometer laser output and efficiency.

Main Methods:

• Modeling a conventional CO2 GDL with a uniform intensity distribution for the 9.4-micrometer saturating beam.
• Injecting a cw 9.4-micrometer [P(14)] beam with multi-kilowatt power into the CO2 GDL.
• Operating the GDL at an optimum reservoir pressure of 15 atm and temperature of 1200 K with a specific gas mixture (CO2:N2:H2 = 20:73:7) and nozzle area ratio of 100.

Main Results:

• Achieved a small signal gain exceeding 1% cm(-1) at 16 micrometers.
• Obtained a 16-micrometer laser output of over 2.0 W/cm(3) on the P(15) line of the (02(0)0)-(01(1)0) transition.
• Demonstrated that efficient injection of the saturating beam can increase the 16-micrometer laser efficiency up to 10%.

Conclusions:

• The injection of a 9.4-micrometer saturating beam is an effective method for significantly enhancing the performance of a 16-micrometer CO2 GDL.
• Laser output characteristics are dependent on the power, intensity, and spot size of the injected 9.4-micrometer beam.
• This technique offers a pathway to higher efficiency and output power for 16-micrometer laser systems.