Nonlinear response of a CO2 laser with detuning of the emission frequently under loss modulation conditions

Experimental and theoretical investigations were made of a nonlinear response to loss modulation in a CO2 laser with detuning of the emission frequency from the centre of a lasing line. The nature of the response depended fundamentally on the ratio of the modulation frequency to the main resonance frequency of the laser. The experimentally observed asymmetry of the amplitude-detuning characteristic was attributed to a change in the refractive index as a result of loss modulation. The presence of peaks on this characteristic could be used to stabilise the emitted radiation at a frequency detuned from the lasing line centre.