A SUPERSONIC MIXING CHEMICAL LASER

Abstract

The reaction F + HCl → HF^† + Cl has been used to produce cw chemical laser action. This has been accomplished by mixing two supersonic streams of the reactant species in a shock tunnel. The time duration of the laser action is two orders of magnitude longer than the natural laser pulse in a non‐flowing system, i.e., it is limited only by the flow time of the shock tunnel.