Discharge production of the singlet delta oxygen for an iodine laser

The properties and kinetics of singlet delta oxygen (SDO) metastables in discharge plasma, which are important for the development of the discharge excited oxygen-iodine laser, are discussed. A short description is given of available experimental activity in the development of SDO generators. Specific requirements to the SDO discharge generator are reported. The capability of different kinds of discharge to meet these requirements is evaluated. Issues are discussed which are important for the study of SDO kinetics in more detail, including processes involving individual electronic-vibrational states.