Gas dynamics of the active medium of a supersonic cw HF chemical laser

Gas-dynamic characteristics of a 5-kW supersonic cw HF chemical laser with a nozzle array of size 25 cm x 2.8 cm and the nozzle - nozzle mixing scheme were experimentally studied. The distributions of Mach numbers, static pressure, total pressure behind the normal shock, and the loss of total pressure were measured in the flow of an active medium in wide ranges of variation of the flow rate of secondary fuel (hydrogen) and pressure in the atomic-fluorine generator. The energy parameters of the laser were found to be interrelated with the gas dynamics and the optical quality of the active laser medium. (lasers)