Magnetic stabilized cross field flowing gas laser

Claim 1

In a flowing gas laser of the type in which electrical power is coupled into the gas flowing through an optical gain region through electron collisions within an electric discharge plasma established in the optical gain region, and optical output power is coupled from the optical gain region, the combination comprising: means establishing an optical gain region; means providing a flow of a gas mixture including a Lasing gas through said optical gain region; means establishing an electric discharge plasma within said optical gain region, the electric field of said plasma being transverse to the flow of gases through said optical gain region; and means establishing a graduated magnetic field having its lines of induction substantially transverse to the direction of both the flow of the gas mixture and the electric field in said optical gain region to generate a force on electrons in said plasma, as a result of electron drift in said electric discharge plasma, which is opposite to the direction of gas flow through said optical gain region the magnetic field across said optical gain region having a graduated intensity which increases along the direction of flow between the upstream and downstream locations in the gain region.