Active medium utilizing a mixture of O2(1Δ) and an iodine aerosol

An O₂(¹Δ)–N₂–iodine aerosol mixture is proposed as an active medium of a pulsed oxygen–iodine laser. It is shown that the lifetime of the stored energy in this mixture may be comparable with that in an iodine-free O₂(¹Δ)–N₂ medium. After a certain induction time, as a result of self-heating, the mixture is converted into an active oxygen–iodine medium by an explosive process.