Chemically pumped Br2–CO2 laser

The output energy of a Br₂–CO₂ photodissociation laser (operating at 0.5 atm) was doubled by the addition of WF₆, which was photolyzed to give fluorine atoms. It was concluded that the F+Br₂→BrF+Br exchange reaction resulted in a strongly nonequilibrium population of the fine-structure levels of the bromine atom. This reaction was the first example of the use of the spin–orbit excitation, produced by a chemical process, in laser pumping.