Abstract: A hypersonic wedge nozzle for chemical lasers that has a radially diverging low primary nozzle with a multiplicity of hypersonic wedge type secondary injection wedges at the exit end of the primary nozzle to allow gas flow to become supersonic in the primary nozzle before entering the regions between the secondary injection wedges or the surfaces thereof. Utilization of the large diverging primary nozzle in producing supersonic flow minimizes viscous effects in producing the supersonic flow in a chemical HF or DF laser.

Abstract: The reactants in a chemical laser are mixed to effect a lasing action by expanding one reactant through a relatively large primary nozzle in such a way as to form an expanding reactant flow field whose free expansion is essentially two dimensional in character and occurs predominantly in directions parallel to a given plane (expansion plane) parallel to the flow path of the flow field, and injecting the other reactant into this expanding flow field in such a way that mixing of the reactants occurs by predominantly molecular diffusion of the second reactant into the first reactant flow field in directions transverse to the flow field expansion plane.