Abstract: A high electrical power is input in a gas-swept electrical discharge for gas laser by controlling with a high electrical efficiency and without dissipative resistance. A discharge chamber is swept through with a gas at a high velocity wherein transverse to the flow direction, the gas discharge burns as a steady-field discharge between an anode and several cathodes opposite the anode. These are disposed in tandem in the flow direction. Power is supplied to each individual cathode by means of a fast, independently controlled switched-mode power supply unit constant current characteristics wherein the current is supplied to the switched-mode power supply unit by series-connected partial voltage sources of the cathodes. A pre-ionization device is provided on the flow bounding surface of the discharge chamber.

Abstract: A discharge device, especially for a gas laser, has a discharge chamber through which a gas flows at high velocity and the gas discharge burns as a steady-field discharge between an anode and a cathode lying opposite the anode as the main electrodes extending transversely of the gas flow. To obtain a high ionization rate with a low alternating-current power consumption, while at the same time pre-ionizing the entire volume of incoming gas present between the cathode and anode, at least two pre-ionizing electrodes are present, one of which is in front of the cathode and the other in front of the anode in the direction of flow, and the pre-ionizing electrodes are out of phase with one another.

Abstract: A discharge device for a gas laser has an AC-supplied pre-ionizing electrode enveloped in dielectric material, which has a length corresponding approximately to that of the cathode and anode and lies ahead of the cathode and anode in the direction of the flow of the gas, and which is connected to one of the main electrodes through a low impedance with regard to the pre-ionizing alternating current. To obtain a high ionization power with a low alternating current power requirement, while at the same time pre-ionizing the entire volume of the incoming gas present between cathode and anode, the pre-ionizing electrode is connected both to the anode and to the cathode through a low impedance with regard to the pre-ionizing alternating current.