Chemical Lasers
Used as directed-energy weapons.
| Laser gain medium and type | Operation wavelength(s) | Pump source | Applications and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen fluoride laser | 2.7 to 2.9 μm for Hydrogen fluoride (<80% Atmospheric transmittance) | Chemical reaction in a burning jet of ethylene and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) | Used in research for laser weaponry by the U.S. DOD, operated in continuous wave mode, can have power in the megawatt range. |
| Deuterium fluoride laser | ~3800 nm (3.6 to 4.2 μm) (~90% Atm. transmittance) | chemical reaction | MIRACL, Pulsed Energy Projectile & Tactical High Energy Laser |
| COIL (Chemical oxygen-iodine laser) | 1.315 μm (<70% Atmospheric transmittance) | Chemical reaction in a jet of singlet delta oxygen and iodine | Laser weaponry, scientific and materials research, laser used in the U.S. military's Airborne laser, operated in continuous wave mode, can have power in the megawatt range. |
| Agil (All gas-phase iodine laser) | 1.315 μm (<70% Atmospheric transmittance) | Chemical reaction of chlorine atoms with gaseous hydrazoic acid, resulting in excited molecules of nitrogen chloride, which then pass their energy to the iodine atoms. | Scientific, weaponry, aerospace. |
Read more about this topic: List Of Laser Types
Famous quotes containing the word chemical:
“We are close to dead. There are faces and bodies like gorged maggots on the dance floor, on the highway, in the city, in the stadium; they are a host of chemical machines who swallow the product of chemical factories, aspirin, preservatives, stimulant, relaxant, and breathe out their chemical wastes into a polluted air. The sense of a long last night over civilization is back again.”
—Norman Mailer (b. 1923)