Electron-beam initiation of a hydrogen fluoride chemical laser

The chemical and technical efficiencies of a hydrogen fluoride laser are calculated as a function of the current density of an electron beam used to initiate the reaction in an H₂–F₂ mixture. It is shown that there is an optimal range of beam current densities (1–10 A/cm²) in which the efficiency, measured relative to the energy absorbed in a mixture, reaches maximum values of 800–1000 % when the chemical efficiency is 7–10 %.