Flow mixing and chemical kinetics in the afterglow of an electro-discharge source of singlet oxygen O 2 (a 1 ∆ g ) are studied theoretically using both a simple analytical approach and an advanced three-dimensional (3D) simulation with the FLUENT code. Calculated results are compared with titration measurements of atomic oxygen flow in the discharge oxygen-iodine laser (DOIL) system in which the first positive gain and continuous-wave laser oscillation were demonstrated [1,2]. It was shown [1] that atomic oxygen atoms in rf post-discharge O 2 /He mixtures effectively deplete O 2 (a 1 ∆ g ) molecules through quenching of the excited iodine atoms. Thus, the precise technique for O atom flow measurements and methods of removing O atoms are of importance for DOIL operation. One technique is through the admixing of NO 2 to the post-discharge flow which allows control of the O atom flow. Theoretical predictions of NO 2 * production (and equivalently the emission), using both an analytical solution of a simplified system of equations and thorough 3D modeling of the reactive mixing flows, are compared with experimental measurements of NO 2 * emission. Analysis of 3D calculated distributions of species concentrations and flow velocities shows how titration measurements should be calibrated correctly and validates the use of a simple analytical approach for the interpretation of titration measurements. It is recommended that NO 2 titrations for the flow conditions near to those examined use the value obtained from fully extinguishing the NO 2 * emission.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.