Determination of the Stress-Optic Coefficients of ZnSe,
Abstract
In high-power laser systems, windows are required in order to provide environmental isolation for the laser and tracking systems without degradation of the optical quality of the transmitted laser wavefront. Two classes of specifications must be simultaneously fulfilled by the windows: (1) Optical performance including wavefront distortion, absorption, and scatter; and (2) mechanical soundness. Mechanical forces to be considered include residual stresses within the window blank, mounting stresses, thermally induced stresses, pressure gradients, vibration, and tracking accelerations. For design verification and inspection during operation, it is desirable to have a full aperture description of the stress field and, also, to obtain such data without demounting the window. Birefringence measurements fulfill these conditions. In order to evaluate the feasibility of such a test, the authors have measured the stress optic behavior of zinc selenide (ZnSe) using He-Ne laser-illuminated interferometers.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 15, 1974
- Accession Number
- ADA007778
Entities
People
- James E. Slattery
- James S. Thompson
- John B. Schroeder
- Lester F. Goldstein
Organizations
- The Aerospace Corporation