Excitation of the molecular nitrogen laser by a high‐energy electron beam is shown to be controlled byE/pin a manner similar to other forms of electrical excitation. The electric field is produced by the increasing net current. Both the beam current and the nitrogen pressure for maximum laser power are found to vary directly as the laser diameter for the two diameters considered. Scaling of laser power with length is found to be limited by the high optical gain of the laser transition which causes the active medium to become superradiant before the full length is excited.