Numerical and experimental investigations of the energy capabilities of a chemical OD(OH)–CO2 laser

A calculation model is developed of a pulsed chemical OD–CO₂ laser. Comprehensive experimental tests are reported: they show that the model describes satisfactorily the main time and energy characteristics of a laser. Numerical optimization of the composition of the mixture is carried out in respect of the main components on the assumption of instantaneous generation of D atoms and a study is made of the influence of temperature on the energetics of the laser. The approximation of instantaneous mixing of the fluxes is used to show that a cw chemical OD–CO₂ laser should be characterized by high values of the specific output energy (~150 J/g) and of the chemical efficiency (~10% ).