Gasdynamic lasers

This book reviews operating principles of gasdynamic lasers and recent achievements in the development of these powerful sources of coherent radiation obtained by rapid cooling of gas. The basic principles of quantum electronics are outlined, and the kinetics of vibrational energy transfer and of other physicochemical processes occurring in gas flows are analyzed. The gasdynamics of relaxing gases is examined as applied to the description of gas flows in gasdynamic-laser nozzles. Mathematical models of the processes that occur in CO2 IR gasdynamic lasers and experimental results obtained with such lasers are discussed. Detailed attention is given to N2O, CS2, and CO gasdynamic lasers as well as to designs for far-IR gasdynamic lasers, photorecombination lasers, and plasmadynamic lasers.