Formation of free fluorine atoms by laser-collisional initiation of the CH3F+F2 reaction

A kinetic model is developed and analyzed numerically for the reaction between CH₃F and F₂ initiated by laser radiation in a mixture having a complex component composition typical of a DF–CO₂ chemical laser. It is shown that an appreciable concentration of free F atoms (~10¹⁶ cm^–3) may be formed within a fairly short time (~1 μ sec) at moderate laser pulse intensities (~1 MW/cm²). These results indicate that this reaction is potentially useful for the development of chemical laser amplifiers initiated by infrared radiation.