Influence of easily ionizable substances on the stability of an SSVD in working Co2 laser mixtures

Abstract

The main mechanisms of instabilities in an SSVD were identified by investigating the influence of easily ionizable substances and of other impurities on the duration of stable burning of such a discharge in N2 and in CO2–N2 mixtures when the initial electron density depended weakly on the gas composition. The results obtained demonstrated the dominant role played by multistage ionization in the development of instabilities in SSVDs in working CO2 laser mixtures and the need to use easily ionizable substances for the suppression of these instabilities.