Beam Divergence: The Measurement of Nanosecond Laser Pulses.
Abstract
The divergence of a laser beam is a measure of the rate at which the energy in the beam spreads. There are many ways of measuring the divergence of nanosecond pulses. The data reduction needed to gain accuracies of less than plus or minus 15% involves the expenditure of considerable time. The methods which give results in a short time generally have accuracies of plus or minus 20% or worse. Two of the more accurate methods which are based on photography, the Winer technique and Hartmann method, are compared. Also, a mechanized technique known as SRTLAS, Semi-Real Time Laser Analysis Scanning is discussed. The 40 ns pulses measured during the comparison were produced by a Nd:Glass laser operating at 1.06 micrometer. (Modified author abstract)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1973
- Accession Number
- AD0764702
Entities
People
- Douglas E. Caldwell
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology