Non-self-sustained slab discharge as an efficient method for exciting an active laser medium

A transverse discharge in a narrow dielectric gap with extended electrodes is investigated in the case of an additional pulsed ionisation at a repetition rate of 10 — 30 kHz. The electrical characteristics of the discharge and the limiting energy deposition are studied experimentally and theoretically. It is shown that the limits of the discharge homogeneity are determined by the ionisation — overheating instability and can be varied by changing the preionisation power. The output power of a CO₂ laser obtained from a unit discharge surface is 1.5 W cm^-2.