Influence of acoustic waves on TEA CO2 laser performance

Hubertus von Bergmann; Andrew Forbes; Ted Roberts; Lourens Botha

doi:10.1117/12.737142

26 April 2007 Influence of acoustic waves on TEA CO₂ laser performance

Hubertus von Bergmann, Andrew Forbes, Ted Roberts, Lourens Botha

Proceedings Volume 6346, XVI International Symposium on Gas Flow, Chemical Lasers, and High-Power Lasers; 634606 (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.737142
Event: XVI International Symposium on Gas Flow, Chemical Lasers, and High-Power Lasers, 2006, Gmunden, Austria

Abstract

In this paper we present results on the influence of acoustic waves on the output laser beam from high repetition rate TEA CO₂ lasers. We show that acoustic waves generated inside the cavity lead to deterioration in beam quality, decreased output energy, and an increase in pulse to pulse energy variation. We investigate the impact of gas mix on the acoustic behaviour, and present experimental results on laser performance across a range of gas mixtures. Solutions to the acoustic wave problem are presented together with experimental results. The influence of acoustic damping measures on laser gain are demonstrated showing a significant improvement in gain and output power at high repetition rates. The link between the pre-ionisation method employed and the acoustic wave impact on laser performance is discussed.

Citation Download Citation

Hubertus von Bergmann, Andrew Forbes, Ted Roberts, and Lourens Botha "Influence of acoustic waves on TEA CO₂ laser performance", Proc. SPIE 6346, XVI International Symposium on Gas Flow, Chemical Lasers, and High-Power Lasers, 634606 (26 April 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.737142

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available