Unstable resonators of high-power chemical oxygen–iodine lasers

Configurations of unstable resonators are considered depending on the basic parameters of a high-power chemical oxygen–iodine laser and the design of an unstable resonator is proposed which provides the compensation of the inhomogeneity of the small-signal gain downstream of the active medium, a high energy efficiency, and stability to intracavity aberrations. The optical scheme of this resonator is presented and its properties are analysed by simulating numerically the kinetics of the active medium and resonator itself in the diffraction approximation.