CONTINUOUS-WAVE CHEMICAL-LASERS - THE PROBLEM OF SMALL-SCALE PERIODICINHOMOGENEITIES AND SPECIFIC FEATURES OF LATERAL-SHEARING INTERFEROMETRY OF SUCH INHOMOGENEITIES

The problem of small-scale periodic inhomogeneities in continuous-wave chemical lasers (CLs) is discussed. Self-compensation of small-scale periodic optical inhomogeneities characteristic of active media of cw CLs is considered in detail. For slit geometry of a nozzle array, we d etermine characteristic angles of the optical axis with respect to sli t nozzles that correspond to self-compensation. The second part of thi s paper is devoted to the problems of measuring one- and two-dimension al periodic optical inhomogeneities using shearing interferometric met hods. Specific features of the computer processing of lateral-shearing interferograms are considered for various interferometric schemes. Th e accuracy of measurements of optical distortion in active media of cw CLs is shown to depend on the scale of periodic inhomogeneities and o n the shift of the wave fronts in the interferometer.