Discharge production of the singlet delta oxygen for an iodine laser

The properties and kinetics of singlet delta oxygen (SDO) metastables in di scharge plasma, which are important for the development of the discharge ex cited oxygen-iodine laser, are discussed. A short description is given of a vailable experimental activity in the development of SDO generators. Specif ic requirements to the SDO discharge generator are reported. The capability of different kinds of discharge to meet these requirements is evaluated. I ssues are discussed which are important for the study of SDO kinetics in mo re detail, including processes involving individual electronic-vibrational states.