Silent-discharge excited TEM/sub 00/ 2.5 kW CO/sub 2/ laser

The performance characteristics of the TEM/sub 00/ 2.5-kW silent-discharge-excited, transverse-flow CO/sub 2/ laser are presented. The silent-discharge excitation is advantageous for a high-quality beam pattern and for pulsed operation and sealed-off operation. Furthermore, the discharge power can be easily increased without limitation due to the instability of the discharge itself.<
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