Analysis of lasing in chemical oxygen-iodine lasers with unstable resonators using a geometric-optics model

摘要

A simple geometric-optics model is developed that describes the power extraction in chemical oxygen-iodine lasers (COILs) with unstable resonators. The positive and negative branch unstable resonators with cylindrical mirrors that were recently used in COILs are studied theoretically. The optical extraction efficiency, spatial distributions of the intracavity radiation intensity in the flow direction, and the intensity in the far field are calculated for both kinds of resonator as a function of both the resonator and the COIL parameters. The optimal resonator magnifications that correspond to the maximum intensity in the far field are found.