Pulsed chemical oxygen–iodine laser with bulk formation of iodine atoms by an electric discharge

A preliminary investigation was made of a chemical oxygen–iodine laser with bulk formation of iodine atoms in an electric discharge. The output energy was comparable with that obtained for a photolysis variant of the laser, but the technical efficiency of the investigated discharge variant was much higher (91%). The pulse power (~100 kW) was approximately three orders of magnitude higher than the power of a cw chemical oxygen–iodine laser with the same chlorine flow rate.