Electric-discharge HF laser with an output energy in excess of 20 J and a high technical efficiency

Abstract

An investigation was made of a chemical HF laser in which a mixture of the F2 : O2 : SF6 : H2 = 3 : 1 : 3 : 1 composition was initiated by a longitudinal electric discharge. Optimization of the initiation stage ensured a technical efficiency of the HF laser amounting to η1 = 63% when the physical efficiency was 120%. The specific input energy optimized to ensure a high value of η1 was 80 J liter−1 atm−1 . The maximum output energy of 23 J was obtained when the pressure of the mixture was 28 Torr and the technical efficiency was η1 = 50%.