Laser based on an SF6 — H2 mixture pumped by a radially converging electron beam

Experimental and theoretical investigations were made of the excitation and emission from a high-power HF laser pumped by a nonchain chemical reaction initiated by a radially converging electron beam. The distribution of the specific radiation energy in the output beam was determined and the distribution of the input energy over the laser chamber cross section was calculated for various gas mixtures. The space-charge field influenced the input energy distribution. The output radiation energy of a mixture of the SF₆:H₂ = 8:1 composition was ~115 J at a pressure of 0.45 bar when the active volume was ~30 litres, the efficiency relative to the input energy was ~7% — 8%, and the distribution of the radiation energy over the output beam cross section was relatively uniform. For the same input energy, because of the high density of SF₆, a pressure jump in SF₆ —  H₂(D₂) mixtures resulting from the combined effect of the electron beam injection and the chemical reaction was several times less than in active mixtures of exciplex lasers.