The auto-decomposition of NCl3 as a source of NCl(a)

The NCl-I laser has been demonstrated using HN3 as a fuel with a combustor to produce chlorine atoms. In this paper, we discuss the possibility of producing NCl(a1Δ) from the auto-decomposition of NCl3. This would eliminate the requirement for a combustor. We present the results of experiments and kinetic modeling designed to understand the basic physical processes in this system. The NCl-I laser operates using only gaseous species, eliminating the need for heterogeneous gas liquid reactions such as used in COIL chemical lasers. The lasing species is the same as in COIL, simplifying the scaling process since many optical, tracking and propagation problems have been demonstrated in other programs.