Multiple‐photon isotope separation in SF6: Effect of laser pulse shape and energy, pressure, and irradiation geometry

The isotopically selective dissociation of SF6 induced by intense CO2 laser radiation has been experimentally investigated. These experiments demonstrate that the reaction yield can be greatly enhanced by designing the reaction cells for better photon utilization. It was found that although the probability of reaction increases with laser energy fluence, the reaction probability is almost independent of the pulse shape or the instantaneous laser intensity. Experiments over a range of pressures showed that collisions decrease the probability of reaction.