Atmospheric 10.6-μm absorption coefficient: dynamics

The parameter of paramount importance to the propagation of an optical beam through a given medium is the absorption coefficient. For 10.6-μm beams, the absorption coefficient for dry air is established by the CO2 population in the 001 and 100 levels. The dynamics of such an absorption coefficient are examined in terms of upper and lower CO2 level kinetics for both V–V and V–T interactions with other atmospheric molecular constituents, the radiation field, and the temperature changes due to V–T processes. The particular case studied is a pulse length in the V–V and V–T kinetics regime.