History and future development of high-power lasers for the production of a dense high-temperature plasma

The history of the development of high-power lasers for the production of dense high-temperature plasmas is described. The general laws governing the choice of active media for high-power lasers for laser fusion are noted and some comparative characteristics of neodymium, iodine, and CO₂–N₂ lasers are given. Possible methods of solving the energy problem are examined and prospects for the development of laser fusion research are analyzed.