Abstract

The molecular laser isotope separation process (MLIS) is based on the photodissociation of UF₆ gas. The UF₆ technology is well established in the nuclear fuel cycle. No new material handling process—as in the atomic vapor process (AVUS)—has to be developed. Also the uranium density in the MLIS process is higher by several orders of magnitude. Therefore this process is attractive for industrial scale uranium enrichment. The isotope is selectively achieved by exciting molecular vibrations in the 16-μm region. The excited molecules have a larger cross section for UV radiation. Therefore they are preferentially dissociated to UF₅. High selectively is only possible when the UF₆ molecules are cooled in a supersonic expansion and a narrow-band-tunable 16-μm source is used. On the other band, high dissociation yields require excitation to high vibrational states.

© 1986 Optical Society of America