Pulsed chemical HF laser utilizing a mixture of technicalgrade C3H8 and SF6 and initiated by an electric discharge

An electrochemical HF laser was constructed utilizing a mixture of technical-grade propane and butane with SF₆. A resistive anode was made of a Ge single crystal (ρ = 25 Ω·cm) and the mixture was subjected to ultraviolet preionization. The output radiation was highly stable. In the nonselective lasing regime a discharge volume of 86 cm³ yielded laser pulses of 220 mJ energy with a peak power of 3 MW. The energy corresponding to the individual P₁(4–9), P₂(3–8), and P₃(3–8), transitions was in the range 15–43 mJ and the peak powers for these lines were 0.2–0.5 MW.