Phase-locked operation of a compact three-slab-sections radiofrequency discharge CO/sub 2/ laser

In order to obtain a compact source with good power extraction and low divergence, a laser making use of both large-area discharges and laser-array principles was constructed. The near- and far-field patterns obtained from the laser working in unlocked and phase-locked conditions are presented and compared to distributions obtained by means of simple diffraction theories. A modal description to the field distribution is given, and the conditions for the attainment of the phase-locked emission are discussed, making use of the information obtained from the spectrum of beat frequencies.>