Possibilities of improving the performance of an autonomous cw chemical DF laser by replacing the slot nozzles by the ramp ones in the nozzle array

The results of a comparative numerical study of the performance of an autonomous cw chemical DF laser are obtained by simulating the processes in the nozzles and laser cavity where several configurations of slot and ramp nozzle arrays are employed. Three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations solved with the Ansys CFX software are used to describe the reacting multicomponent flow in the nozzles and laser cavity. To investigate lasing characteristics, a supplementary code is developed and is used to calculate the radiation intensity in the Fabry–Perot resonator, taking into account its nonuniform distribution along the aperture width and height. It is shown that the use of the nozzle array consisting of ramp nozzles, which, in contrast to the slot nozzles, provide enhanced mixing of the reactants makes it possible to improve the laser performance in the case of a high-pressure (more than 15 Torr) active medium.