Analysis of the CS2–O2 Chemical Laser Showing New Lines and Selective Excitation

Abstract

We investigated the lasing oscillation resulting from the flash photolysis of carbon disulfide and oxygen and found 270 new lasing lines which all could be ascribed to P- and R-branch, vibrational-rotational transitions in CO, a reaction product. A measurement of the time of initiation of the lasing lines showed that the CO was being selectively excited at two vibrational levels by two different mechanisms (collision with electronically excited SO2 and chemical formation of excited CO).