Catalytic enhancement of singlet oxygen for hybrid electric discharge oxygen-iodine laser systems

We are investigating catalytically enhanced production of singlet oxygen, O 2 (a1u g ), observed by reaction of O 2 /He discharge effluents on an iodine oxide film surface in a microwave discharge-flow reactor at 320 K. We have previously reported a two-fold increase in the O 2 (a) yields by this process, and corresponding enhancement of I( 2 P 1/2 ) excitation and small-signal gain upon injection of I 2 . In this paper we report further observations of the effects of elevated temperature up to 410 K, and correlations of the catalytically generated O 2 (a) with atomic oxygen over a large range of discharge-flow conditions. We have applied a diffusion-limited reaction rate model to extrapolate the catalytic reaction rates to the highpressure, fast-flow conditions of the subsonic plenum of a supersonic EOIL test reactor. Using the model and the flow reactor results, we have designed and implemented a first-generation catalytic module for the PSI supersonic MIDJet/EOIL reactor. We describe preliminary tests with this module for catalyst coating deposition and enhancement of the small-signal gain observed in the supersonic flow. The observed catalytic effect could significantly benefit the development of high-power electrically driven oxygen-iodine laser systems.