Vibrational excitation of HF molecules and initiation of an H2 — F2 laser by multiline radiation from a hydrogen fluoride laser

Abstract

Theoretical and experimental investigations were made of the mechanism of initiation of the H2+F2 reaction by resonant excitation of HF molecules with radiation from a pulsed H2—F2 laser, followed by transfer of the vibrational energy to H2 molecules which then participate in the energy branching of the reaction chain. It was shown theoretically that a hydrogen fluoride laser pulse of energy density 0.1–10 J cm-2 acting on an HF: H2: F2: O2: He=(0.3–1):76:228:23:578 Torr mixture can generate laser radiation after a delay of 10–100 μs. A chain H2+F2 reaction was initiated experimentally for the first time by multiline radiation from a pulsed hydrogen fluoride laser and a satisfactory correlation was observed between the calculated and measured chain-reaction development times.