Abstract

The important sources of optical loss in the Brewster windows of a gas laser are outlined, and the effects of this loss on the performance of the laser are described. Particular attention is paid to thermal focusing effects which occur when absorbing films are formed on the Brewster windows of high-power lasers. A semiquantitative theory is developed which shows that absorptive loss in the windows sets an upper limit on the intracavity intensity of a Brewster window laser.

© 1970 Optical Society of America

Polarization Properties of a Triangular Ring Laser Having a Discharge Tube with Brewster Angle Windows

T. Yoshino and T. Sumimoto
Appl. Opt. 9(8) 1831-1833 (1970)

Thermal Lensing in a Nd:YAG Laser Rod

W. Koechner
Appl. Opt. 9(11) 2548-2553 (1970)

Isotope Dependence of Gas Laser Intensity Profiles

G. A. Royce and M. Sargent
Appl. Opt. 9(11) 2428-2434 (1970)

Polarization Characteristics of an Ionized-Gas Laser in a Magnetic Field*

Douglas C. Sinclair
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 56(12) 1727-1731 (1966)

Thermal effects of a laser beam tube consisting of a window and nonflowing gas

Jianzhu An, Youkuan Li, and Xiangwan Du
Opt. Lett. 29(24) 2899-2901 (2004)