Electrode system for electric-discharge generation of atomic iodine in a repetitively pulsed oxygen — iodine laser with a large active volume

Abstract

Possibilities for increasing the active medium volume of a chemical oxygen — iodine laser (CCOIL) with a pulsed electric-discharge generation of atomic iodine are studied. The reasons are analysed of the low stability of the transverse self-sustained volume discharge in electrode systems with metal cathodes under the conditions of the electric energy input into gas-discharge plasma that are typical for CCOILs: low pressure of mixtures containing a strongly electronegative component, low voltage of discharge burning, low specific energy depositions, and long duration of the current pulse. An efficient electrode system is elaborated with the cathode based on an anisotropically-resistive material, which resulted in a stable discharge in the mixtures of iodide (CH3I, n-C3H7I, C2H5I) with oxygen and nitrogen at the specific energy depositions of ∼5 J L-1, pressures of 10 — 25 Torr, and mixture volume of 2.5 L.