Optical distortion coefficients of high-power laser windows

Claude A. Klein

doi:10.1117/12.55600

1 April 1990 Optical distortion coefficients of high-power laser windows

Claude A. Klein

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Optical Engineering, Vol. 29, Issue 4, (April 1990). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.55600

Abstract

This paper concerns the problem of describing and evaluating thermal lensing phenomena that occur as a result of the absorption of laser light in solid windows. The aberration function expansion method is applied for deriving the two optical distortion coefficients x+ and xthat characterize the degradation in light intensity at the Gaussian focus of an initially diffraction-limited laser beam passing through a weakly absorbing stress-birefringent window. In a pulsed mode of operation, the concept of an effective optical distortion coefficient Xeff, which properly combines the coefficients x+ and x- in terms of potential impact on focal irradiances, then leads to the definition of a figure of merit for distortion. The theory and calculations presented in this and earlier papers provide simple analytical tools for predicting the optical performance of a windowmaterial candidate in a specific system's environment.

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Claude A. Klein "Optical distortion coefficients of high-power laser windows," Optical Engineering 29(4), (1 April 1990). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.55600

Published: 1 April 1990

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