A pulsed N/sub 2/O waveguide laser with extended tunability

An air cooled N/sub 2/O waveguide laser with pulsed longitudinal DC excitation is described. It can oscillate in 70 lines, and, at a pressure of 80 mbar, it can be tuned single line and single mode over a tuning range of 350 MHz in a number of stronger lines. The laser performance is studied for different gas mixtures, involving He, N/sub 2/, and CO, and for various resonator configurations and cooling schemes. Operation at the required pressure is possible only if CO is used in the gas mixture. The potential of the laser for Doppler limited spectroscopy is illustrated through measurements of NH/sub 3/.<
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