Efficient generation in a chemical oxygen — iodine laser with a low buffer-gas flow rate

The efficient generation in a chemical oxygen – iodine laser (COIL) with a low buffer-gas flow rate for Mach numbers M ≤ 1 is demonstrated. The maximum output power of the COIL was 415 W for a molecular chlorine flow rate of 20 mmol s^-1, which corresponds to a chemical efficiency η_ch = 23%. It is shown that the substitution of the buffer gas CO₂ for N₂ does not cause any significant variation in the dependence of the output power on the degree of dilution of the active medium.