Koroteev, N. I.; Shumay, I. L. Physics of High-Power Laser Radiation (Fizika moshchnogo lazernogo izlucheniya), 1991. In Russian

Коротеев Н. И., Шумай И. Л. Физика мощного лазерного излучения.
Москва : Наука, Главная редакция физико-математической литературы, 1991.
309, [1] с. : ил. Мягкая издательская обложка, обычный формат.
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Koroteev, N. I.; Shumai, I. L. Physics of High-Power Laser Radiation (Fizika moshchnogo lazernogo izlucheniya).
Moscow : Nauka, Main Editorial Board for Physics and Mathematics Literature, 1991.
309, [1] pp. : ill. Softcover, ordinary format.

This 1991 monograph, published just as the Soviet era was drawing to a close, represents a comprehensive summary of late-20th-century progress in non-linear optics and high-intensity laser physics. The authors, Nikolai Koroteev and Igor Shumay, were leading figures at Moscow State University’s International Laser Center, a hub for pioneering research in quantum electronics.
The book delves into the fundamental physical processes that occur when matter interacts with intense coherent light. It systematically covers the propagation of high-power pulses in various media, the phenomena of self-focusing, and the generation of harmonics. A significant portion of the work is dedicated to the practical applications of high-power lasers, including laser-induced plasma, laser spectroscopy, and the thermal effects of radiation on solids. The authors also address the then-emerging field of femtosecond laser pulses, which would later become a cornerstone of modern ultrafast science.
For the researcher or historian of technology, this volume is an essential reference on the "heroic age" of laser physics in the USSR. It captures the transition from theoretical quantum electronics to the robust industrial and scientific applications of high-intensity beams. The text is noted for its rigorous mathematical approach and its detailed diagrams of experimental setups that defined Soviet laser laboratories in the late 1980s.