Laser emission from purely chemically generated vibrationally excited hydrogen bromide

Patent · Tue Aug 12 00:00:00 EDT 1980

OSTI ID:7035631

Arnold, S J; Foster, K D

A continuous wave hydrogen bromide (Hbr) chemical laser is described, in which laser activity is produced by purely chemical means. Gaseous chlorine dioxide and gaseous nitric oxide are mixed and reacted to produce atomic chlorine. The atomic chlorine is reacted with gaseous molecular bromine to generate atomic bromine. The atomic bromine is reacted with gaseous hydrogen iodide to generate vibrationally excited hydrogen bromide by purely chemical means. The vibrationally excited hydrogen bromide is initially formed in such a way that the population of some of the energy states is inverted. The vibrationally excited hbr is itself lased in an optical resonator cavity, or may be used to transfer energy to another gas, such as carbon dioxide, for lasing action of that other gas. The present apparatus provides a flow channel, and separate injectors and injection means for the gaseous reactant materials chlorine dioxide, nitric oxide, bromine molecules and hydrogen iodide. A laser cavity whose central axis is positioned at about 90* to the directional gas flow is located 1 cm downstream from the hydrogen iodide injectors.

• Assignee: Canada National Defence Minister of (Canada)
• Patent Number(s): US 4217557
• OSTI ID: 7035631
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
37 INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
CHEMICAL LASERS
DESIGN
EXCITATION
OPERATION
BROMINE
CAVITY RESONATORS
CHLORINE
CHLORINE OXIDES
ENERGY TRANSFER
HYDRIODIC ACID
HYDROBROMIC ACID
NITRIC OXIDE
VIBRATIONAL STATES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EQUIPMENT
EXCITED STATES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HALOGENS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
IODINE COMPOUNDS
LASERS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NONMETALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RESONATORS
420300* - Engineering- Lasers- (-1989)
400200 - Inorganic
Organic
& Physical Chemistry