16(14) microns TE CO2 laser working on the 0200(1000)-0110 and 0201(1001)-0111 bands

The optimization of the active medium and its electrical discharge pumping conditions based on the original technique of gain measurements on the several bands (00
⁰
1-10
⁰
0, 00
⁰
2-10
⁰
1, 01
¹
1-11
¹
0) of CO
₂
molecule allowed to obtain in the simple TE CO
₂
laser with UV preionization (the active media length is 70 cm, the width of electrodes is 2.5 cm, the interval between electrodes is 2 cm, the voltage on the 0.2 microFarad capacitor is 6.5 kV) the powerful lasing (57 mJ) on the 02
⁰
0(10
⁰
0)-01
¹
0 band (lambda~l16 (14) micrometers) at room temperature.. To increase the power performances of the 16 (14) microns CO
₂
laser the possibility of lasing on the 02
⁰
1-01
¹
1 band have been experimentally and theoretically investigated under the combined (electrical + optical) excitation of the active medium. The necessary conditions for the effective lasing have been determined. It is shown that in optimum conditions the output energy can reach 1,3 J/l at the peak power 5 MW and at the full efficiency of 2%.