Laser-induced damage in optical materials: thirteenth ASTM symposium

Abstract

The Thirteenth Annual Symposium on Optical Materials for High Power Lasers (Boulder Damage Symposium) was held at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) in Boulder, Colo., 17–18 Nov. 1981. The Symposium was held under the auspices of ASTM Committee F-1, Subcommittee on Laser Standards, with the joint sponsorship of NBS, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, the Department of Energy, the Office of Naval Research, and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Approximately 200 scientists attended the Symposium, including representatives of the UK, France, Japan, West Germany, the Peoples Republic of China, Sweden, and the U.S.S.R. The Symposium was divided into sessions concerning Materials and Measurements, Mirrors and Surfaces, Thin Films, and finally Fundamental Mechanisms. As in previous years, the emphasis of the papers presented at the Symposium was directed toward new frontiers and new developments. Particular emphasis was given to materials for high-power apparatus. The wavelength range extended from 10.6 μm to the UV region. Highlights included surface characterization, thin film-substrate boundaries, and advances in fundamental laser-matter threshold interactions and mechanisms. The scaling of damage thresholds with pulse duration, focal area, and wavelength was discussed in detail. Harold E. Bennett of the Naval Weapons Center, Arthur H. Guenther of the Air Force Weapons Laboratory, David Milam of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Brian E. Newnam of the Los Alamos National Laboratory were cochairmen of the Symposium.