Theoretical performance of an HCl chemical cw laser

A quantitative analysis of an H₂ + Cl₂ cw chemical laser is presented that includes the influence of stimulated emission on the reacting medium. Numerically-determined solutions encompass one-dimensional fluid mechanics, chemical kinetics, radiative de-excitation, and their mutual interaction. The excited HCl(v) is produced vy a chain reaction, with only the H + Cl₂ reaction providing v ?1. Because of the large amount of HCl(0) produced by the Cl + H₂ reaction, lasing occurs primarily on the 3→2 and 2→1 vibrational bands. A chemical efficiency of 7 per cent is predicted with a cavity pressure of 0.1 atm, no diluent, and a substantial excess of H₂. A comprehensive parametric study examines the effects due to changed initial cavity conditions, mixture ratios, and output coupling.