Characteristics of Radiation from a Supersonic Flow Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Laser.

Abstract

The flow and optical fields of a supersonic flow chemical oxygen-iodine laser are simulated by solving the three -dimensional Navier-Stokes equations as well as the paraxial wave equation, and the laser power extraction characteristics are studied. The present results show that considerable flow nonuniformity remains in the optical resonator. Therefore, the effects of refraction caused by flow nonuniformity on the near-field and far- field patterns of radiative flux, and the laser power are evaluated using an actual nonuniform flow and an equivalent uniform flow. The mixing between O 2 ( 1 Δ) and I 2 in the present condition is fairly satisfactory from the viewpoint of power extraction characteristics. It is also shown that the present simulation overestimates the small signal gain coefficient and the output laser power to some extent. It is thought, however, that the calculation predicts the extremely complicated phenomenon in S COIL fairly well in spite of the many assumptions used in the present study.