Chemical oxygen–iodine laser

A chemical laser in which electronically excited oxygen transfers energy to iodine atoms, producing infrared light at 1.315 micrometers.

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Singlet delta oxygen: An electronically excited, metastable form of molecular oxygen with its two oxygen atoms in a singlet state. Its stored chemical energy excites iodine atoms in the laser’s gain medium.
Chemical laser: A laser whose excited gain medium is produced by chemical reactions. The oxygen–iodine laser is a specific chemical-laser design.
Airborne Laser: A U.S. Air Force program that placed a high-energy laser aboard a modified Boeing 747 aircraft. The program selected a chemical oxygen–iodine laser for its beam director system.
Hydrogen fluoride laser: A chemical laser that emits infrared radiation from vibrationally excited hydrogen fluoride molecules. It is a major chemical-laser alternative with different active molecules and output wavelengths.
Energy transfer: The transfer of energy between interacting physical systems or particles. Collisions transfer excitation from oxygen molecules to iodine atoms.
Molecular oxygen: A diatomic molecule composed of two oxygen atoms, with electronic states that include metastable singlet forms. The laser’s energy donor is an excited state of molecular oxygen.
Missile defense: Systems and strategies intended to detect, track, and intercept incoming missiles. The laser’s high power made it a candidate for directed-energy interception.
Deuterium fluoride laser: A chemical laser that uses deuterium fluoride molecules to produce infrared radiation. It shares chemical pumping but emits through a different molecular transition.
Iodine atom: An atom of iodine, with 53 protons and an electron configuration that supports laser transitions near 1.315 micrometers. Excited iodine atoms provide the laser transition that emits the beam.
Iodine: A chemical element with atomic number 53, belonging to the halogens. Its atoms form the active radiating species in this laser.