A method for measuring laser-induced damage thresholds of materials

In this study, a novel optical limiting (OL) experimental setup is proposed for evaluating laser-induced damage thresholds (LIDTs) of materials. This technique is based on the pump-probe method, and the damage can be measured using a probe beam with a delay adjusted according to experimental conditions. Moreover, the probe beam is controlled to reach the sample before the pump beam, and the pump beam waist is larger than the probe beam waist to facilitate measurement. In particular, using this probe beam, nonlinear effects of the material can be ignored. Compared with other traditional technologies, the proposed method allows direct observation of the OL threshold of the material as well as measurement of in situ and laser damage of the material. This technique can quantify the in situ damage and LIDTs of materials effectively and conveniently. The validity of this approach is demonstrated by measuring the LIDT of ZnSe. Such measurement method enables searching for more efficient laser protective materials with high LIDTs that can be widely used in laser protection and other applications.