10 {mu}m lasing is studied in a compact CO2-He cell pressurized up to 15 atm when optically pumped by a ~50 mJ Fe:ZnSe laser tunable around 4.3 {mu}m. The optimal pump wavelength and partial pressure of CO2 for generating 10 {mu}m pulses are found to be ~4.4 {mu}m and 0.75 atm, respectively. Without cavity optimization, the optical-to-optical conversion efficiency reached ~10% at a total pressure of 7 atm. The gain lifetime is measured to be ~1 {mu}s at pressures above 10 atm, indicating the feasibility of using high-pressure optically pumped CO2 for the efficient amplification of picosecond 10 {mu}m pulses.
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