Compagnie Generale D'electricite

Michel Mabru

Henri Brunet

Michel Gastaud

Philippe Chauvet

An active gas based on CO.sub.2 penetrates under pressure into a discharge chamber (20) via injection orifices (10) formed through the upstream face of said chamber. These orifices leave considerable solid portions (22) about themselves in said face such that the gas forms jets which diverge up to an outlet grid (12) constituting a common anode. Cathodes (8) are individually powered by a block (14) and give rise to discharges which are widened on the edges of said jets by large-amplitude gas recirculation currents, thereby increasing the electrical power injected. The invention is particularly applicable to power lasers.

Laser with discharge in a turbulent transverse flow

The generator comprises an optical cavity (3, 4) resonating according to an axis (2) and two annular electrodes (5, 6) disposed along said axis, one of said electrodes (5) being provided with gas injection channels (9, 10) having injection axes (11, 12) directed toward the other electrode (6) and inclined at an angle of 45.degree. with respect to the axis (2) of the resonator, the number and the cross-section of said channels (9, 10 . . . ) being selected to enable the laser gas to be injected at supersonic speed. The operating method consists in maintaining a laser gas pressure upstream from the injection channels (9, 10) which is at least 50% greater than the downstream pressure.

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Bures sur Yvette, France

Michel Mabru