Electron Kinetic Processes in CO Lasers

Electron-energy distributions have been determined for electrically excited CO laser mixtures by numerically solving the Boltzmann equation for conditions typical of electric discharges. Solution of the electron-energy-conservation equation using the computed distribution functions reveals that vibrational and electronic excitation of CO, N2, and Xe dominates electron-energy-exchange processes for average electron energy in the 1–2-eV range characteristic of electric discharge conditions. For typical mixtures and discharge conditions, between 30 and 90% of the total electrical power is transferred to CO vibrational levels by direct electron excitation, a result consistent with the high electrical-optical conversion efficiency of electrically excited CO lasers. In addition, these calculations illuminate the influence of Xe, N2, and vibrationally excited molecules, as regards electron collision processes in CO laser discharges.