Chemical laser based on energy transfer from TF to CO2 molecules

An investigation was made of the characteristics of a chemical laser utilizing a T₂–F₂–CO₂ mixture with low pressures of the reagents. The experimental results were explained on the assumption that the rate of the vibrational-translational relaxation of CO₂(00⁰1) due to the interaction with TF was twice as fast as the corresponding rate of relaxation due to the interaction of CO₂ with DF. When the tritium pressure was 0.5 Torr, the radioactive mechanism of nucleation of chains in the mixture was not significant but it became dominant when the pressure of T₂ was increased and this limited the maximum output energy of the laser.