Abstract: An improved laser system includes a sealed-off, RF excited, diffusion cooled, high pressure, short pulsed, high peak power waveguide and slab CO2 laser that avoids problems typically associated with obtaining a diffused discharge at high gas pressures, without arcing and without corona, while maintaining the unsaturated gain and gas temperature experienced at low pressures and scaling to higher pressures. Such a system has a long operating life-time, and is capable of operation at high gas pressures to obtain relative fast rise and fall time pulses. The system emits relatively short pulse widths, with pulse energies up to and exceeding 30 mJ, with reasonably high pulse repetition rates. The system also has a low pulsed RF power duty cycle, thereby enabling the generation of high peak power pulses, as well as reasonable average power and reasonably high peak powers.

Abstract: The performance of an RF excited gas laser having a discharge region with a generally curvilinear orthogonal cross-section, the shorter of the two dimensions of the discharge region cross-section being the spacing between non-conductive sidewalls which collisionally cool the discharge and are rotatable for guiding laser light, is enhanced by excitation field shaping. The field shaping includes use of a non-conductive member disposed between a high voltage field establishing electrode and a sidewall of the discharge region.

Abstract: A transverse RF pumped gas laser has a large area discharge which is of generally rectangular shape in all plan views. In cross-section the geometry of the discharge has a longer and a shorter dimension, the longer dimension being between the electrodes to which RF power is supplied and the shorter dimension, suitable for guiding intracavity laser light, being defined by ceramic side walls.

Abstract: An RF transformer employs at least three elongated conductive elements in generally parallel spaced relationship. At least a first inductive element is connected between a pair of the conductive elements to provide a desired field distribution. A diagnostic technique for determining the frequency shift of the transformer employs a perturbing object which is selectively longitudinally positioned within the transformer. The transformer has particular utility as an RF excited gas laser.