A pumping system for a chemical laser having a heat exchanger in the output for supplying heat to the diluent carrier gas from a high pressure gas supply. The diluent carrier gas is used to accelerate solid particles which are then separated from the gas stream and used to accelerate the output gas of the laser. The kinetic energy of the gas stream is then converted to a gas stream pressure in an expanding channel. The solid particles are then removed from the gas and returned to the particle supply.

A hypersonic wedge nozzle for chemical lasers that has a radially diverging low primary nozzle with a multiplicity of hypersonic wedge type secondary injection wedges at the exit end of the primary nozzle to allow gas flow to become supersonic in the primary nozzle before entering the regions between the secondary injection wedges or the surfaces thereof. Utilization of the large diverging primary nozzle in producing supersonic flow minimizes viscous effects in producing the supersonic flow in a chemical HF or DF laser.

A novel laser nozzle system for use in any chemical laser in which a first gaseous reactant, a second gaseous reactant, and a diluent gas can be used. A preferred embodiment includes: a first nozzle which is dimensioned and is configurated to induce and to promote the supersonic flow of the first gaseous reactant through the first nozzle; a second nozzle which is positioned downstream both from the first nozzle and from the supersonic flow of the first gaseous reactant, and which is dimensioned and is configurated to continue the supersonic flow of the first gaseous reactant through the second nozzle; and, a plurality of hollow conduits which are disposed both in a transverse attitude to the second nozzle, and downstream of the second nozzle, with each conduit of the plurality having a first plurality of orifices. The conduits are preferably in the geometry of tubes having a horizontal cross section which is circular. In another embodiment, each of the conduits is compartmentalized and has a second plurality of orifices. The nozzle system is readily adaptable to meet the varying parametric requirements of different chemical lasers. In addition, the nozzle system is simple in structure; and, thereby, the nozzle system permits the low cost of manufacture of the system, and also the low cost of operation of the chemical laser in which it is used. Further, the nozzle system permits the cooling of the hollow conduits, and prevents the premature combustion of the gaseous reactants.

An inert diluent such as N.sub.2, He, Ar, etc., is injected into the reactant streams emerging from the cavity nozzle of a CW, supersonic, laser to increase the cavity power and lower the cavity temperature by enhancing mixing of the reactant stream while maintaining high pressure recovery.

A chemical laser having good chemical efficiency and power level produced by chain reacting in an optical cavity chlorine gas with hydrogen or deuterium gas in a compact combustion driven chemical laser. An inorganic fluorine-source gas, an inorganic hydrogen-source gas, and an inorganic chlorine-source gas are introduced into the combustion chamber of a chemical laser whereupon the hydrogen-source gas and the fluorine-source gas react to heat the chlorine-source gas and produce atomic and diatonic chlorine. Atomic and predominantly molecular chlorine gas, together with the other combustion products, are driven into the laser cavity at supersonic velocities where the chlorine gas reacts with hydrogen or deuterium gas. In the laser cavity a chemical chain reaction takes place in which molecules of hydrogen or deuterium react with atomic chlorine to produce ground state hydrogen chlorine or deuterium chloride and atomic hydrogen or deuterium. The atomic hydrogen or deuterium, in turn, reacts with the molecular chlorine to produce the lasing species of hydrogen chloride or deuterium chloride and atomic chloride and atomic chlorine. Laser radiation is emitted from the laser cavity transversely to the flow of gases.