CW HF/HCN and HF/DF optical resonance transfer lasers

CW laser oscillation has been observed in HCN at
3.85-3.9 \mu
m and in DF at
3.8-4.0 \mu
m. Mixtures of HF/HCN/He and HF/DF/He were irradiated by a CW multiline HF chemical laser. Vibrational excitation of HF by resonance absorption, followed by rapid V-V energy transfer to HCN or DF, produced a population inversion. The HCN gain was estimated to be between 0.08 and 0.17 percent/cm. The DF gain was greater than 0.17 percent/cm and 25 mW of power were outcoupled.