Chemical H2/F2 laser initiated by an excimer lamp

A chemical hydrogen–fluorine (H₂/F₂) laser was operated for the first time by transverse initiation with incoherent radiation from a pulsed electric-discharge excimer lamp with XeCl, XeF, and KrF molecules. This laser operated only when superradiance of the excimer mixtures was suppressed. Estimates indicated that the technical efficiency of the excimer lamp was 5%, which was 10 times higher than the efficiency of an excimer laser which was used to construct it. A study was made of feasibility of constructing a system in which excimer molecules and vibrationally excited HF molecules would form in the same region in space.