Electric-discharge HF laser with an output energy in excess of 20 J and a high technical efficiency

An investigation was made of a chemical HF laser in which a mixture of the F₂ : O₂ : SF₆ : H₂ = 3 : 1 : 3 : 1 composition was initiated by a longitudinal electric discharge. Optimization of the initiation stage ensured a technical efficiency of the HF laser amounting to η₁ = 63% when the physical efficiency was 120%. The specific input energy optimized to ensure a high value of η₁ was 80 J · liter^–1 · atm^–1 . The maximum output energy of 23 J was obtained when the pressure of the mixture was 28 Torr and the technical efficiency was η₁ = 50%.