Laser ablation and optical surface damage

Optical surface damage is a very complex and important problem in the development and application of high-power lasers. Optical damage may also be considered to be the initial phase of laser ablation. The fundamental mechanisms of optical damage are therefore of significance for applications of laser ablation; on the other hand, measurements of laser ablation have provided valuable evidence regarding the fundamental mechanisms of optical damage. Other methods for investigating optical surface damage include surface characterization before and after the damage event, short-pulse optical probes of laser-surface interactions, photothermal deflection or deformation, and transient grating techniques to measure heating and thermal conduction of surfaces and coatings. These methods are discussed and the current state of understanding of optical damage mechanisms is reviewed.

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