Abstract:
A new design is proposed and the characteristics are calculated of a pulsed chemical HF laser with a two-phase active medium and a photon-branched chain initiation mechanism. This laser includes an aerosol-evaporation reactor coupled structurally to an unstable telescopic cavity. Such a closed system reduces considerably (down to 0.217 ms) the time needed for the formation of a two-phase active medium with the required properties. When the working volume of the laser is ~7 litres, the following high output characteristics can be achieved: the maximum power per pulse ~2×1010 W, the pulse duration ~740 ns, the total output energy ~1.5 kJ, the specific output energy ~200 J litre–1 , and the energy gain 105 .