Laser-Induced Damage And The Role Of Self-Focusing

M. J. Soileau; William E. Williams; Nastaran Mansour; Eric W. Van Stryland

doi:10.1117/12.7977098

1 October 1989 Laser-Induced Damage And The Role Of Self-Focusing

M. J. Soileau, William E. Williams, Nastaran Mansour, Eric W. Van Stryland

Author Affiliations +

Optical Engineering, Vol. 28, Issue 10, 281133 (October 1989). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.7977098

Abstract

We review the influence of self-focusing on the measurement of bulk laser-induced-damage (LID) thresholds in normally transparent optical mate-rials. This role is experimentally determined by measuring the spot size and polarization dependence of LID and by observing beam distortion in the far field. Utilizing these techniques, we find that by using a tight focusing geometry in which the breakdown power is below P2, the effects of self-focusing can be practically eliminated in an LID experiment. P2 is the so-called second critical power for self-focusing, and P2 = 3.77P1, where P1 = cX2/327r2n2, where c is the speed of light in vacuum, X is the laser wavelength and n2 is the nonlinear index of refraction. This is in accordance with numerical calculations by J. H. Marburger [in Progress in Quantum Electronics, J. H. Sanders and S. Sten-holm, eds., Vol. 4, Part 1, pp. 35-110, Pergamon, Oxford (1975)]. With this knowledge we determine that damage is only partially explained by avalanche ionization and that the initiation of damage is strongly influenced by extrinsic processes. We therefore conclude that we are measuring extrinsic LID.

Citation Download Citation

M. J. Soileau, William E. Williams, Nastaran Mansour, and Eric W. Van Stryland "Laser-Induced Damage And The Role Of Self-Focusing," Optical Engineering 28(10), 281133 (1 October 1989). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.7977098

Published: 1 October 1989

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

;

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE