Compact pulsed HF lasers

A compact electrically pulsed HF laser is described. In this laser a mixture of SF6and H²in a 20-cm-long by 4-mm inside diameter Pyrex tube is subjected to 0.06 joule, 25 kV pulses at repetition rates up to 500 pps. The resulting fluorine atoms react with hydrogen to form vibrationally excited hydrogen fluoride. The output consists of the P(1)--P(7) rotational lines of the 1-0 vibrational transition and the P(2)--P(9) lines of the 2--1 transition. Line selection is provided by using a plane 300 line/mm grating as one reflector; the other reflector is an uncoated Irtran 4 flat. Average power on all lines is 20 milliwatts. Peak pulse power on dominant lines is approximately 10 watts. Average and pulse power are stable to within 2 per cent. The laser provides a convenient and compact source of infrared radiation in the 2.5-3.0 µm region.