| Abstract: | Results of an experimental investigation of a chemical oxygen-iodine laser (COIL) are presented. We determine the factors
influencing the efficiency of a chemical singlet-oxygen generator (SOG) of the bubbler type operating on the chlorination
of an alkaline solution of oxygen peroxide. We describe SOG constructions. A cw COIL with output power up to 400 W is developed
on the basis of the investigated SOG. The feasibility of a modular construction of high-power COIL is demonstrated. A power-output
level of 1 kW was achieved with a two-section laser. The feasibility is analyzed of COIL operation in a pulsed regime by pulsed
bulk accrual of iodine atoms. We show that in this regime the laser can be operated without a low-temperature trap. An advantage
of such a regime is also the possibility of controlling, in a wide range, the lasing pulse duration. A strong influence of
molecular chlorine on the energy content of the active medium is observed when alkyliodides are used as iodine donors. The
possibilities of using a pulsed COIL for controlled thermonuclear fusion are discussed.
Translated from Trudy Fizicheskogo Instituta im. P. N. Lebedeva Akademiya Nauk SSSR, Vol. 194, pp. 114–147 (1989). |
