This volume contains the proceedings ofthe NATO Advanced Research Workshop 950443 on "Gas lasers-recent development and future prospects." The workshop was held in Moscow, July 2-5, 1995. During the workshop 22 oral presentations and 23 posters havebeen presented. Among the continuously expanding research on new laser systems in the extending spectrum range gas lasers are unique in many ways: the availability of high (average) power in all parts of the spectrum from the far infrared to the vacuum ultraviolet, the homogeneity ofthe active medium with the potential ofhigh beam quality even at...

The CO2-laser technology may be considered the most advanced in the laser field. Research has been stimulated strongly because of its high potential for many scientific and industrial applications. This book is primarily devoted to the main, more established developments of the CO2-laser. Advances in continuous systems, pulsed systems, mode-locked pulses, and the amplification of short pulses are dealt with in detail. This is done by giving an extensive treatment of relevant molecular physics, gas kinetics, excitation and relaxation processes, and laser physics pertinent to CO2. It also...