Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to Chemistry a bit weak...why would a chemical laser need deuterium?

There are HF lasers

They are molecular lasers- they use vibrational transitions in the HF molecule to get lasing at a frequency of about 2.8 microns.

The reason for the DF lasers is the mass difference betwee H and D. This mass difference leads to a change in the vibrational frequency of the molecule, so DF lasers lase around 3.5 micron- This wavelength travels through air better than the HF frequency, so it preferred for military applications.

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