This application relates to fuel for a chemical laser in which carbon monosulfide (CS) is reacted with oxygen atoms (O) to fuel a carbon monoxide (CO) chemical laser. The use of carbon monosulfide results in faster pumping of the laser, less heating of the medium, and a lessened need for oxygen atoms in the system.
The R.sub.(48) (992 cm.sup.-1) line of a tunable cw multiline CO.sub.2 laser is used to dissociate thiophosgene (CSCl.sub.2) to produce the excited radical, CS*, homogenously in a laser chamber containing premixed O.sub.2. The R.sub.(48) (992 cm.sup.-1) line of the CO.sub.2 laser is resonant with the 2.nu..sub.2 (992 cm.sup.-1) overtone of CSCl.sub.2. This line is strongly absorbed by the CSCl.sub.2 which dissociates (80%) into 2 Cl and CS*. The CS* reacts with the premixed O.sub.2 to chemically produce excited CO which subsequently lases.
A transverse flow CW atomic iodine laser system uses a closed cycle fuel system to operate in a continuous mode. An elliptical pump cell having a Hg arc lamp cooled by deionized water irradiates with UV energy C.sub.3 F.sub.7 I gas to produce excited atomic iodine. A transverse flow section attached to the pump cell channels C.sub.3 F.sub.7 I gas into a laser cell where lasing occurs. The flow section has upstream and downstream flow cavities, triangular shaped, that channel the laser gas. A diffuser and flow straighteners are placed in these cavities to make the flow velocity across the transverse laser axis as uniform as possible so as to produce very stable laser gain output.
