Gaseous actinometry measurements in a flashlamp-pumped pulsed chemical laser

A method is described for applying the well-known technique of gaseous actinometry to determine the initial degree of fluorine dissociation in a flashlamp-pumped chemical laser system. The method is based on a model which takes into account multiple reflections and different path lengths for the incident light in a flashlamp-pumped chemical laser. The use of the method is illustrated with measurements made on an approximately 2-liter pulsed chemical laser, and the results are compared with previously reported measurements using other techniques.