INVESTIGATION OF THE MECHANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH GAS BREAKDOWN UNDER INTENSE OPTICAL ILLUMINATION

A high power Q-switched CO2 laser with an output at 10.6 micron wavelength has been developed. In part II, the results of the previous studies of gas breakdown by optical frequency radiation are described along with an outline of the high-power 10.6 micron Q-switched laser development and the gas breakdown studies carried out with this laser source in the present investigations. In part III, the cw and the Q-switched operation of the CO2 gas laser are described in detail and the output power is examined as a function of the various laser parameters. In addition, in this section the operation of the CO2 laser amplifier required for high power operation is also described. In Part IV, the measurements of gas breakdown with 10.6 micron wavelength radiation are presented and the experimental results obtained are compared with a theoretical model of the breakdown. Part V comprises a discussion of the present degree of understanding of the gas breakdown process, and a summary of the results obtained in the studies accomplished under this contract. Sponsored in part by DARPA.