Single-frequency TEA CO₂ laser with a bleaching spectral intracavity filter

The regime of single-frequency operation is realised in a TEA CO₂ laser with a spectral filter inside the cavity (a cell filled with SF₆) on P(12)–P(24) lines of the 10P band. The minimal scatter of the peak powers of the laser pulses in a series of 'shots' and the maximal ratio of the output energies in the single-frequency and free running regimes (greater than 0.84) are obtained on the P(16) line at an optimal SF₆ pressure in the cell. Experimental results qualitatively agree with the absorption spectrum of SF₆ calculated from the SPECTRA information-analytical system. It is shown that the high ratio of energies in two regimes is achived due to gas bleaching in the cell. (paper)