Pulsed RF excitation inductive discharge CO$_2$ laser with the radiation energy of 1J and high efficiency

An efficient pulsed gas-discharge inductive CO$_2$-laser with a radiation energy of 1.05J has been developed for the first time. In this case, the pulse duration of the laser radiation was about 10 msec. The maximum efficiency of 21.1% was obtained at a radiation energy of 340 mJ. HF current pulses propagated along the inductor conductor and, thus, an inductive discharge was formed to create a population inversion at the infrared (IR) transitions of CO$_2^*$ molecules. The temporal and energy characteristics of the radiation of the inductive CO$_2$-laser depending on the duration of the pump pulse are investigated. The spatial characteristics and spectrum of the radiation of the developed laser are estimated. The divergence of the laser radiation was 0.52 mrad. The cross-sectional dimension of the laser output beam was about 35 mm in diameter.