Flow with vibrational energy exchange, application to CO2 electric laser

The performances of a continuous wave (CO2, N2, He) laser ionized by an electron beam are calculated. Several types of phenomena are considered: energy exchange processes between molecules of laser medium, electron molecular excitation processes, aerodynamic phenomena: the energy exchanges accompanying the laser effect generate important quantities of heat, which have to be evacuated by the flow. After a survey of the fundamental assumptions on molecular phenomena, a computer code was developed for following, along the flow, the evolution of the thermodynamic parameters (pressure, temperature), of the laser gain, and of the electrical properties (electron density and temperature). To provide a finer description of the last ones, a model giving the energy distribution of the electrons in the laser medium was established