Stimulated light scattering in a chemically active medium with a chain reaction mechanism

An analysis is made of stimulated light scattering in a chemically active medium where the reaction takes place by a chain mechanism. The light initiates a chain reaction by dissociating one of the mixture components and is scattered by acoustic waves formed as a result of inhomogeneous heat release. The role of the chain in the scattering process is manifest at small scattering angles when the sound frequency is much lower than the rate constant of the chemical reaction. Estimates show that for a mixture consisting of hydrogen, fluorine, and hydrogen fluoride, the gain is ~400 cm/MW at a total pressure of a few atmospheres.