CONTENTS[br] 1. Introduction 153[br] 2. Construction of Tubes and Fabry-Perot Resonators 154[br] 3. Principal Experimental Results 155[br] 4. Spectral Composition of Continuous Laser Radiation 156[br] 5. Pulsed High-power Laser 157[br] 6. Laser in Combination with Q-switching Technique 157[br] 7. Basic Data on the CO[sub]2[/sub] Molecule. Selective Excitation of the Upper CO[sub]2[/sub] Laser Level with Vibrationally-excited Nitrogen 159[br] 8. Direct Electronic Excitation of Vibrational Levels. Population of Upper Laser Level of CO[sub]2[/sub], CO[sub]2[/sub]+N[sub]2[/sub], CO[sub]2[/sub]+N[sub]2[/sub]+He, and CO[sub]2[/sub]+He Lasers 160[br] 9. Vibrational Relaxation of CO[sub]2[/sub]. Laser Level Populations 163[br] a) Relaxation of Lower Laser Level 163[br] b) Influence of H[sub]2[/sub]O on the Rate of Relaxation of the Lower Laser Level 164[br] c) Determination of the Population Difference of the Laser Levels of CO[sub]2[/sub]+N[sub]2[/sub]+H[sub]2[/sub]O Lasers 165[br] d) Processes Limiting the Radiation Power 165[br] e) Relaxation of Laser System 166[br] 10. Certain Applications of CO[sub]2[/sub] Lasers 168[br] 11. Conclusion 169[br] Cited Literature 169[br]