Effect of Foreign Gas on Peak Power and Rotational Relaxation for Optically Pumped CO_2 4.3 μm Laser

From the peak output power measurement for the optically pumped CO2 4.3 ?m pulse laser, the effect of foreign gas and the molecular dynamics are examined. For the CO2 4.3 ?m and 10.6 ?m pump sequence laser pulses occurring in the same discharge tube, the optimization of the peak output power is discussed. The J-profile of delay time from the start of the pump sequence pulse to the peak of the 4.3 ?m laser pulse indicates that rotational relaxation due to CO2?CO2 collision via |?J|=2 transition occurs, and also suggests the inclusion of the |?J|>2 transition process.