Influence of atomic oxygen on the dissociation of molecular iodine and dissipation of the energy stored in the active medium of an oxygen–iodine laser

An investigation was made of the kinetics of formation of atomic iodine after ultraviolet photolysis of a mixture of molecular iodine and ozone diluted with various gases. It was found that the iodine dissociation process in this mixture is governed by the reactions of the oxygen atoms. Dissipation of the singlet oxygen energy was observed. A mechanism was proposed to explain this effect by quenching of singlet oxygen and of excited iodine atoms by iodine oxides formed in the mixture after photolysis.