Damage Threshold Studies in Laser Crystals
Abstract
The report contains a cumulative summation of a three-year experimental and theoretical program on laser induced damage in ruby and sapphire at 6943 A. Both bulk and surface damage were studied, using a well- characterized single transverse and longitudinal mode Q-switched ruby laser and amplifier. Temporal studies of the development of internal damage tracks using a high speed streak camera have been correlated with self-focusing theory with good agreement and constitute the first direct evidence for moving self-foci in solids. It has been found that beams with elliptical spatial cross-sections have higher self-focusing thresholds than circular beams. An investigation into the relation between surface damage and surface plasmas is described. Theoretical efforts have developed a new model for optical breakdown in materials based on a transfer of optical energy to photoelectrons which undergo rapid energy transfer to acoustic phonons via optical phonons.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1972
- Accession Number
- AD0751928
Entities
People
- Concetto R. Giuliano
- Donald F. Debois
- Gerald R. Rickel
- Laverne D. Hess
- Robert W. Hellwarth
Organizations
- HRL Laboratories