Search

The feasibility of a red singlet oxygen laser based on production of (b) state singlet oxygen by the electronic energy pooling reaction of (a) state singlet oxygen was investigated. A microwave discharge-flow system for studying the quenching kinetics of (b) state oxygen was constructed with a large diameter viewing region so as to ensure that heterogeneous quenching of both (a) and (b) state oxygen was unimportant. An upper bound for quenching of (b) state oxygen by (a) state oxygen was measured and was not found to be extremely large compared to the rate constant for quenching of (b) state oxygen by ground state oxygen. The rate constants for quenching of both (b) state oxygen and (a) state oxygen by ground state oxygen was measured. Both rate constants agreed well with those measured by previous workers. The results suggest that the extent of the effective population inversion of (b) state oxygen produced energy pooling will not be suppressed by the high densities of (a) state oxygen initially present. The measurements reported here support the feasibility of the red singlet oxygen (Red SOX) laser and further research and development toward this goal is recommended.