Abstract

The propagation of nanosecond CO₂ laser pulses in high-power high-gain amplifiers has been well understood for several years.^1-4 However, the amplification of subnanosecond pulses has not been thoroughly investigated. In a previous experiment⁵ on the propagation of 570-psec pulses in a low-gain TEA laser, a significant discrepancy between experiment and theory was observed. It was found that the 570-psec pulses broadened to 880 psec upon amplification, whereas theory predicted that they should have narrowed to 370 psec.

© 1982 Optical Society of America