Laser Interaction and Related Plasma Phenomena

I. High Power Lasers.- Futurology of High Intensity Lasers (Keynote Address).- Electron Beam Controlled CO2 Lasers at Los Alamos.- High Power UV-Preionized CO2 Lasers.- Review of CW High-Power Laser Technology.- On the Feasibility of Nuclear Pumping of Gas Lasers.- Comparison of Direct and Discharge Pumping in CO2 Lasers.- High Power Chemical Lasers: Problems and Perspectives.- The Iodine Laser, a High Power Gas Laser.- Damage Constraints in the Design of High Energy Lasers for Fusion Applications.- Summary of Discussions and Comments.- II. Medium Intense Laser Plasma Interaction.- Laser Absorption Waves in the Atmosphere.- Interaction of High Power Pulsed CO2 Lasers with Solid Targets.- Measurements of Spontaneous Magnetic Fields in Laser-Produced Plasmas.- Theory of Magnetically Induced Rotation and a Dynamo Effect in Laser Plasmas.- Microwave Studies of Magnetically Induced Counterstreaming Interactions in Laser-Produced Plasma.- Summary of Discussions and Comments.- III. Theory of Instabilities and Nonlinear Processes.- Laser-Induced Instabilities and Anomalous Absorption in Dense Plasmas.- Physical Mechanisms for Laser-Plasma Parametric Instabilities.- Striated Jets and Anomalous Absorption Due to Nonlinear Ponderomotive Forces in Laser-Produced Plasmas.- Nonlinear Behavior of Light-Driven Plasma Instabilities.- Laser-Induced Coherent Decay of Photons for Plasma Heating.- Symmetry of Laser-Drive Implosions.- Summary of Discussions and Comments.- Author Index.