Laser atmospheric propagation kinetics

The absorption of high power laser radiation by the atmosphere is important because the resultant heating of the air causes 'thermal lensing' and nonlinear distortion of the beam. The effects of kinetics manifest themselves in the form of transient, unsteady heating at the beginning of the laser pulse, and bleaching at high intensities. The vibrational and rotational kinetics of the absorption of DF and CO laser radiation have been studied and are described.