Laser-induced damage of a large-aperture potassium dihydrogen phosphate crystal due to transverse stimulated Raman scattering

Abstract

A unique 'double-lung' laser-induced damage pattern of a large-aperture potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystal is observed during a damage experiment carried out on a large-aperture laser system, which has not been predicted by damage tests on small-aperture laser systems. Investigations show that 'double-lung' damage results from transverse stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and the non-uniform fluence and intensity distribution of transverse SRS leads to the 'double-lung' damage pattern.

Modeling of transverse stimulated Raman scattering in KDP/DKDP in large-aperture plates suitable for polarization control

“…Methods to manage the TSRS effect have been developed for the THG plate by beveling the edges of the crystal to avoid back-reflections, and thus additional amplification, during the laser pulse [3] . More recently, innovative ideas for TSRS management have emerged and include the introduction of a laser-induced damage array composed of numerous pinpoints inside the plate to form a barrier to prevent signal amplification [7] . A second approach introduces a polarization element at the fundamental frequency, which divides each beam into several sub-beams whose polarization directions are orthogonal as they propagate through the two subsequent frequency triplers [8] .…”

The ablation of Ta2O5 film by pulsed nanosecond Gaussian laser beams

“…Once damaged, the damaged film will modulate the incident laser and cause inhomogeneous distribution of light intensity, making extensive damage and severe damage [3,4]. Therefore, it has be in a bad need to study the mechanism of laser induced damage to optical thin film and to find out the effective way to increase the laser induced damage threshold (LIDT) [5].…”

Characteristics of Laser-Induced Surface and Bulk Damage of Large-Aperture Deuterated Potassium Dihydrogen Phosphate at 351 nm

“…[1] DKDP rather than KDP is used as the tripler to suppress transverse stimulated Raman scattering (TSRS) and avoid TSRS-induced damage. [2,3] However, DKDP is more expensive and more vulnerable to laser-induced damage than KDP, [4−6] thus laserinduced damage of DKDP becomes a crucial problem and is regarded as an important factor limiting the high-fluence output of high-power laser facilities.…”