Influence of the edge effect on the energy characteristics of a supersonic cw chemical HF laser

The energy characteristics of large-scale cw chemical lasers can be predicted on the basis of the results obtained for small-scale models (modules). This is demonstrated by an experimental investigation of the influence of the edge effect on the output power of an HF laser with a radial-expansion nozzle array of 10 × 35 cm dimensions. An approach is proposed for estimating the degree of influence of the edge effect and identifying the boundaries of the zones in the active medium subject to this influence. The results obtained are used to formulate recommendations on the geometric dimensions of a module.