High efficiency, good optical quality transverse flow CO2 laser

We developed and experimented a method for obtaining a transverse now CO2 laser-TFL- with a matching coefficient (the cross section of the laser beam/the cross section of the electrical discharge) -eta(m)>0.8 for a Fresnel number of the optical resonator -N-F<2 in which both types of the active medium asymmetries are compensated. This corresponds to a TFL with high efficiency and TEM00/01 good optical quality laser beam. The main elements for this laser ate: gas circulation fluido-dynamical circuit in cylindrical geometry with two opposite electrical discharges; U-type laser resonator with a 90 degrees deflection element (pentaprism alike), instead of one corner minor, which reverse the wavefront of the laser beam in one of the two discharge channels. Also, it was developed a new very stable 90 degrees-beam deflection optical element with properties alike pentaprism. This element might be used in optical resonator construction, transport and focusing systems of the laser beam.