Influence of gas temperature on self-sustained volume discharge characteristics in working mixtures of a repetitively pulsed СOIL

The influence of gas temperature on the characteristics of a self-sustained volume discharge was studied in the working mixtures of a chemical oxygen – iodine laser with pulsed electricdischarge production of iodine atoms. In experiments, laser working mixtures were modelled by the mixture of air and iodide C₂H₅I. It was established that mixture heating is accompanied by an increase in the voltage across the discharge plasma and by a decrease in the discharge current. By varying the temperature of the mixture with the iodine content of ~2.7% and initial pressure p = 12 Torr from 22 °C to 96 °C, the current amplitude falls by ~12%, and at the instant corresponding to a maximal current the voltage raises by ~22%. Such a change in the discharge characteristics is explained by a higher rate of electron attachment to vibrationally excited iodide molecules at elevated temperatures.