Lasing in N2O and CO2isotope mixtures pumped by blackbody radiation

The use of N
2
O and CO
2
isotopes as active species for a blackbody radiation pumped laser has been experimentally demonstrated and theoretically analyzed. The results obtained for mixtures containing N
2
O,
¹³
C
¹⁶
O
2
, and
¹²
C
¹⁸
O
2
are presented. For the first time, continuous lasing action with blackbody radiation pumping has been obtained for this species. Two active species mixtures were tested, obtaining up to a 100 percent increase in output power due to
\upsilon-\upsilon
transfer. A simple model was developed and gain calculations are presented.