Abstract

During the last decade there has been considerable interest in the development of frequency-stabilized TEA CO₂ lasers that can be utilized as transmitter sources in various lidar systems. In particular there is a demand for these devices in laser radar-tracking systems as well as wind detection and monitoring projects using heterodyne detection techniques. At present, a typical TEA CO₂ laser is capable of producing frequency-stabilized pulses of a few hundred millijoules at rates to 400 pps. Pulse-to-pulse frequency stabilities of 50-60 kHz and pulse chirp rates of ~1 MHz/μsec² have been reported.¹

© 1981 Optical Society of America