A comprehensive, up-to-date review of the physics and applications of a major class of laser, the most important example of which is the copper vapour laser. A collection of 50 papers written by the world's leaders in the field. Papers cover: the early history of pulsed metal vapour lasters; the plasma kinetics and excitation mechanisms of self terminating and recombination metal vapour lasers; beam quality issues for applications; frequency harmonic generation for mid-UV applications; high-precision processing of metals, ceramics, glasses and plastics using metal vapour lasers; applications in medicine, including oncology and dermatology; applications in science such as spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. A practical source of information on the physics, engineering and applications of metal vapour lasers.
Audience: scientists, teachers and graduate researchers working in the fields of gas lasers, laser optics, gas discharges, optoelectronics and laser applications in industry, science and medicine.

Zusammenfassung
Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on `Pulsed Metal Vapour Lasers - Physics and Emerging Applications in Industry, Medicine and Science', St. Andrews, U.K., August 6-10, 1995

Inhalt

1. Historical Viewpoints.- Pulsed metal vapor lasers: past and future.- Copper lasers in the beginning.- 2. Physics of Pulsed Metal Vapour Lasers.- Copper laser kinetics a comparative study.- Kinetics of metal vapour and metal halide lasers.- Kinetics of metal ion recombination lasers.- Experimental studies of CVL kinetics.- Physics of transverse-discharge copper vapour lasers.- Investigation of bismuth vapour lasers.- 3. Laser Characteristics and Operation.- Plasma parameters of metal vapour lasers.- High-power copper vapour lasers and applications.- Copper bromide lasers.- Metal HyBrID lasers.- Output limiting mechanisms and the prospects for metal vapour lasers with average output power above 1 kW/m.- Strontium and calcium ion recombination lasers and their applications.- The effects of impurities on metal vapour laser performance.- Influence of hydrogen on the kinetics of copper bromide lasers.- MVL parameter management through electron plasma component.- Novel circuits for the excitation of metal vapour lasers.- Novel low-temperature pulsed metal-vapour lasers the high-voltage segmented hollow-cathode metal ion laser.- Measurement of hot spots in copper vapour lasers.- 4. Modelling Metal Vapour Lasers.- Computer modelling of longitudinally excited elemental copper vapour lasers.- Impedance matching and electric field penetration in metal vapour lasers.- Physical consequences of the rapid drop of the electron temperature in copper vapour laser (CVL).- 5. Optical Resonators and Beam Quality.- Beam quality issues in CVL applications.- Beam quality issues in copper vapour lasers.- Advances in unstable resonator technology for pulsed metal vapor lasers.- Beam quality issues for the second harmonic generation of copper vapour radiation.- Spectral control incopper bromide lasers and its application in high speed holography.- 6. Frequency Extension.- Frequency extension of metal vapour lasers.- Transformation of copper and copper bromide laser radiation in non-linear processes.- High power dye laser pumping by copper vapour lasers.- Amplification of the temporally stretched yellow beam of the copper vapour laser.- 7. Applications in Industry.- Precision machining with copper vapour lasers.- Industrial applications of high-power copper vapor lasers.- Exploring high power materials processing applications with copper vapour lasers.- Copper laser machining of ceramics.- Drilling and cutting transparent substrates with copper vapour lasers.- UV micromachining using copper vapour lasers, D.W. Coutts.- Underwater direct metal processing by high-power copper vapour laser.- Applications of CVLs in the electronics industry.- Laser induced chemical etching of silicon with SF6 using a copper bromide vapour laser.- 8. Applications in Medicine.- Treatment of port-wine stains with the 578 nm light from a copper vapour laser and an automated scanning device.- Metal vapour laser systems in biology and medicine.- Copper vapour lasers in oncology.- 9. Applications in Science & Technology.- Applications of copper vapour lasers in spectroscopy.- The use of copper vapor lasers in guide-star applications.- Interaction of CVL radiation with solids: application to mass spectrometry.- Applications of pulsed metal vapour lasers in atmospheric optics.- Optical systems with metal vapour brightness amplifiers.- 10. Collated Characteristics of Some Commercial Pulsed Metal Vapour Lasers.- 11. Contact List of Participants.