The flow field in chemical laser optical cavities with source flow injectors is investigated. The 2-D coupled gasdynamics, chemical—vibrational—rotational kinetics, and multiline laser radiation equations are solved by using a stable implicit numerical method. The flow field—resonator interaction through the gain-intensity relations is calculated by linearization of the kinetics equations and application of an iterative procedure. Calculated small signal gain distributions, closed cavity power variation with mode width, and intracavity spectral content are shown to be in close agreement with experimental measurements. A parametric study has also been conducted, and the potential improvements in performance are illustrated. The results indicate a strong dependency of optical power potential on fluid mechanical interactions with the injector cavity hardware.

© 1984 Optical Society of America

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