On the possibility of obtaining high energy parameters from an IR-initiated thermal-chain explosion H2 – F2 laser

A chemical H₂ – F₂ laser initiated by IR radiation through vibrational excitation of HF molecules is studied theoretically under the conditions of a branched thermal-chain reaction caused by the thermal dissociation of gaseous additions to the laser mixture. It is demonstrated that, using the F₂SO₃ addition at a partial pressure of 40 Torr, the H₂ – F₂ laser with a mixture pressure of 1 bar, initiated by a pulse of a hydrogen – fluorine laser can provide the output exceeding 200 J litre^-1 in 20-ns laser pulses.