Research activities of the Department of Chemical Lasers are related to development of high-power continuous wave iodine lasers COIL and DOIL (Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Laser, Discharge Oxygen-Iodine Laser) proposed for special sophisticated laser technologies. These lasers operate on principle of atomic iodine pumping by energy of excited molecular oxygen in singlet delta state, transferred in near resonant collisions between both species. Although this unique pumping mechanism is physically satisfactorily understood in conventional COIL technology, there is still room to increase influentially a pumping efficiency by advanced generation of both laser species. We have been therefore focused on development of alternative methods and devices for generation of singlet oxygen and atomic iodine, based on original ideas and designs of new devices. Currently, three key projects are investigated in the department: (i) chemical generation of singlet oxygen by a centrifugal spray generator (CentSpraySOG), (ii) physical generation of singlet oxygen by a hybrid DC arc/RF discharge generator (DSOG), and (iii) plasmachemical generation of atomic iodine by a RF discharge generator (DAIG). Besides, an alternative method of molecular iodine generation from gaseous chemicals has been proposed and studied. These advanced methods and devices can be studied and tested on laboratory COIL and DOIL laser systems available in our department, employing e.g., a special spectroscopic diagnostics with the tuneable diode laser and micromovable probe. It makes possible to evaluate atomic iodine concentrations on both lasing levels, gas temperature of laser medium, and small signal gain coefficient across the laser resonator region.
A 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D CFD modelling of fluid-dynamic, kinetic and plasmachemical problems is an integral part of our research, supporting our experimental work.
