Intense Laser Beams and Applications

Recent advances in the development of new sources of intense lasers are reported detailing the improvements in large high-power laser systems, and announcing new applications for the emerging technology. Particular attention is given to gas-phase optically pumped IR lasers, a vibrationally assisted transfer laser concept, visible chemical lasers from alkali-based electronic inversions, computer modeling of an optically pumped hydrogen halide laser, and a compression path algorithm of amplitute correction using deformable mirrors. Also discussed are a simplified chemical oxygen iodine laser system model, a hydrogen fluoride overtone phase-step resonator, dispersion and anisoplanatic effects from the atmospheric density gradient, a laboratory atmospheric compensation experiment, low-power instabiity of multiline CO lasers, and microstructure and oxidation resistance of the laser-clad CO22Cr12Al(0.7)Y alloys.