Reflective attenuator for high-energy laser measurements

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Laser Technology
• Materials Science

Background:

• High-energy lasers require precise power control for various applications.
• Existing attenuation methods can be complex or introduce undesirable optical effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and characterize a novel high-energy laser attenuator.
• To evaluate the performance of different mirror materials for laser attenuation.
• To demonstrate a compact and polarization-preserving attenuator design.

Main Methods:

• Utilized low-reflectance mirrors at a 45-degree angle of incidence.
• Configured three pairs of mirrors for collinear beam path and polarization preservation.
• Conducted damage testing and polarization-dependent reflectance measurements.
• Tested mirror materials including molybdenum, silicon carbide, and copper for 1064 nm laser light.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a six-element attenuator providing 74x (18 dB) reduction in laser energy.
• Characterized polarization-dependent reflectance for tested mirror materials.
• Confirmed collinearity and polarization preservation of the transmitted beam.

Conclusions:

• The developed laser attenuator effectively reduces high-energy laser power while maintaining beam collinearity and polarization.
• Low-reflectance mirrors are suitable optical elements for high-energy laser attenuation applications.
• The design offers a compact solution for precise laser power control.