Laser Action in Atomic Fluorine Based on Collisional Dissociation of Hf

This letter reports laser action in the visible (near 7000 Å) and near infrared on transitions of atomic fluorine. The pumping process is dissociative collisions of helium metastable atoms with hydrogen fluoride. Lower levels of the laser transitions are depopulated by both uv radiative transitions and in collision with ground-state hydrogen atoms.