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 high power and their relatively low costs. In the gas laser development one can distinguish the research towards new or improved laboratory devices and the efforts that are devoted to the development of characteristics like reliability, low costs and versatility that make the laser more suitable for industrial purposes. The industrial applications with dedicated devices are not only a natural e"1ension ofthe laser development itselfbut moreover they have nowadays a strong stimulating effecton this development. The workshop offered the participants many opportunities to discuss fundamental and technological problems of different types of lasers connected with beam proporties, excitation technology, new pumping schemes, pulsed power, construction materials and new codes for the description of laser operation. The interest was especially directed towards high power systems operating in the ultraviolet and vacuum ultraviolet, the radio'frequency discharge physics for waveguide structures and the achievement in molecular CO and CO systems.

Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop, Moscow, Russia, July 2-5, 1995

Zusammenfassung
Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop, Moscow, Russia, July 2-5, 1995

Inhalt
Preface. Prospects for Gas Lasers; W.J. Witteman. Physics of High-Power CO Lasers; A.P. Napartovic. Generation of VUV Radiation with Ionic and F2 Excimer Lasers; P.J.M. Peters, H.M.J. Bastiaens. Radio-Frequency Capacitive Discharges and Gas Lasers with RF Excitation; Yu. P. Raizer, N.A. Yatsenko. Capacitively Coupled RF Excitation of CW Gas Lasers and Its Comparison with Hollow Cathode Lasers; J. Mentel. High Power Smallbore Planar Waveguide CO2 Lasers; S.B. Chernikov, et al. RF Excited Gas Lasers - Recent Progress; Y.B. Udalov, et al. High Power CW Molecular Gas Lasers Using Narrow Gap Slab Waveguides; A.D. Colley, et al. High Power Multi- Channel Waveguide CO2 Laser Arrays; K.M. Abramski, et al. RF Excited Slab Waveguide Array CO2 Laser with Mutual Injection Phase Coupling; J.G. Xin, et al. Gas Discharge Lasers with Combined Pumping; N.A. Yatsenko. Recent Advances in the Theoretical Studies of Low Temperature Plasmas for Gas Lasers; M. Capitelli. XeCl Laser Kinetics; S. Longo. Optical Pumping and Ferrite Flash Discharges; S.V. Mitko, et al. Pulsed Periodic Iodine Laser; A.A. Artemov. CCRF Excited Copper-ion-laser; J. Schulze, et al. Advanced Technology for High Average Power Pulsed Gas Lasers; W. Mayerhofer, et al. Measurement of the Optical Losses of CO2 Laser Components; G. Jakob, et al. Multikilohertz Repetition Rate CW Discharge CO2 Laser with Average Power up to 2,5 kW; G.N. Grachev, et al. Research of Some New Ways to Improve the Efficiency and Optical Quality of Industrial CO2 Lasers; V.S. Golubev. Large Aperture Discharge Pumped Excimer Lasers as Drivers for Soft X-Ray Sources; T. Letardi. Ultrahigh Resolution Lithography with Excimer Lasers; F.K. Tittel. Recent Aspects of Ultra Short Pulse Mid- and Far-Infrared Gas Lasers and Their Applications; D.P. Scherrer. CO Lasers &endash; State of the Art and Potential of Applications; A. Ionin, I. Spalding. Recent Advances in High-Power Lasers in the Kurchatov Institute; V.Yu. Baranov. CO2 Lasers with Flexible Parameters and Their Use in Technological Applications; O.B. Danilov. High-Power Industrial CO2 Lasers Excited by a Nonself-Sustained Glow Discharge; N.A. Generalov. High Power Gas Laser Research in Germany; W.L. Bohn. Recent Progress in France on Excimer Lasers and Applications; B.L. Fontaine.