Optical pumping of the oxygen-iodine laser medium

Abstract

The kinetics of the processes in an O2/I2/Ar/H2O gas flow that is irradiated simultaneously by light at wavelengths near 500 nm and 1315 nm, is considered. Radiation at 500 nm is used to photodissociate about 1% of the iodine molecules. The radiation at 1315 nm excites atomic iodine to the 2P1/2 state. Singlet oxygen molecules are produced via the energy exchange process I(2P1/2)+O2(X3Σ) → I(2P3/2) + O2(a1Δ), while I(2P1/2)+O2(a1Δ) energy pooling produces b1Σ oxygen. I(2P1/2) and O2(b1Σ) then accelerate the dissociation of I2. This active medium may reach ~40 W/cm–2 at an optical efficiency of 50%.