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15 May 2012The investigation of transient thermal effects in optical elements under high laser intensities
The most important limitations in development of high energy and high power lasers based on solid state technology are
thermal effects occurring under high intensity and high heat loads. The thermo-optical effects occurring inside output
couplers, folding mirrors, output windows can significantly diminish the beam quality of high power lasers and therefore
have to be investigated. The knowledge on transient thermal effects occurring inside bulk laser elements exposed on
laser intensities of several dozens of kW/cm2 is of special interest for some specific applications (e.g. heat capacity
lasers). The aims of work were theoretical analysis of those effects occurring inside the laser mirrors and its experimental
verification. The hints for choice of the best materials (from the point of view of thermal limitations) for laser windows
and output couplers were pointed out. The special laboratory setup enabling simultaneous registration of thermo-optical
effects applying shearing interferometry and wavefront sensing by means of Shack-Hartmann test was worked out. The
transient as well as averaged in time thermal-optical effects occurring inside the volume of examined element as a result
of surface absorption in the coatings and bulk absorption in the material can be resolved and measured. The resolution of
measurements: less than 0.1 K temperature difference and thermally induced optical power of about 0.1 D were
demonstrated.
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Mateusz Kaskow, Jan Tarka, Jacek Kwiatkowski, Waldemar Zendzian, Lukasz Gorajek, Jan K. Jabczynski, "The investigation of transient thermal effects in optical elements under high laser intensities," Proc. SPIE 8433, Laser Sources and Applications, 84331V (15 May 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.921639