A hydrogen fluoride chemical laser has been constructed with high‐voltage pulse initiation in a simple transverse discharge geometry. The system delivers a maximum pulse energy of 11 J with about 100‐nsec half‐width. This corresponds to an efficiency of nearly 4% with respect to the electrical input into the pulse generator. An investigation of the voltage and the current flow across the discharge chamber, however, indicates that the efficiency with regard to the actual energy deposition in the gaseous discharge is considerably higher. The discharge parameters for optimum operation are discussed.

1.
For a review of the HF laser literature, see
A. N.
Chester
and
L. D.
Hess
,
IEEE J. Quantum Electron.
8
,
1
(
1972
);
K. L. Kompa, in Topics in Current Chemistry/Fortschritte der chemischen Forschung (Springer Verlag, Heidelberg, to be published), Vol. 37.
2.
S.
Marcus
and
R. J.
Carbone
,
IEEE J. Quantum Electron.
8
,
651
(
1972
).
3.
This generator is manufactured in the technical department of this institute and is available through Garching Instrumente GmbH., 8046 Garching, Freisinger Landstrasse 25, Germany.
4.
H.
Pummer
and
K. L.
Kompa
,
Appl. Phys. Letters
20
,
356
(
1972
).
5.
A detailed technical description of the apparatus will be published elsewhere.
6.
Compare, for instance,
C. A.
Fenstermacher
,
M. J.
Nutter
,
W. T.
Leland
, and
K.
Boyer
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
20
,
56
(
1972
);
R. K.
Garnsworthy
,
L. E. S.
Mathias
, and
C. H. H.
Carmichael
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
19
,
506
(
1971
).
7.
For a review compare, for instance,
A.
Icsevgi
and
W. E.
Lamb
, Jr.
,
Phys. Rev.
185
,
587
(
1969
);
P. G.
Kryukov
and
V. S.
Letokhov
,
Sov. Phys.‐Usp.
12
,
641
(
1970
).
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