Conditions for 20% efficiency of a single-wavelength CO laser for intracavity irradiation

The conditions for obtaining 20% efficiency of a single-wavelength mode-locked carbon monoxide (CO) laser for intracavity irradiation of a substance with a small cross-section photon absorption of ~5 × 10‒22 cm2 have been considered, and the possibility of a long working lifespan of this single-wavelength CO laser has been justified. A laser-output power of 1 kW has been found sufficient for intracavity irradiation despite the small absorption cross section. The calculated efficiencies of this mode-locked laser generating a single line at ~5.3 μm and a number of lines in the 5.0–5.6 μm region are compared with the efficiency of an experimental CO laser.