Parametric study on damage performance of ultrafast-enhanced metal mirror designs

The fundamental limitations and long-term performance of a set of seven broadband mirror designs are explored as a function of their design parameters, aiming to support the development of optics for future 100-PW-class laser systems. The mirror samples are subjected to a variety of testing protocols under both s- and p-polarized 20-fs pulses in the near-infrared and exhibit laser-induced changes including ablation, color change, and contamination. Spatially resolved reflectance measurements are used to quantify the impact of the observed modification types on the functional performance of the optic. Overall, the performance varies significantly and non-monotonically across the design space.