Foam-based optical absorber for high-power laser radiometry.
We report damage threshold measurements of novel absorbers comprised of either liquid-cooled silicon carbide or vitreous carbon foams. The measurements demonstrate damage thresholds up to 1.6x10(4) W/cm(2) at an incident circular spot size of 2 mm with an absorbance of 96% at 1.064 microm. We present a summary of the damage threshold as a function of the water flow velocity and the absorbance measurements. We also present a qualitative description of a damage mechanism based on a two-phase heat transfer between the foam and the flowing water.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, 427 UCB, University of Colorado, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO 80309, USA. krishna.ramadurai@gmail.com
Krishna
K
Ramadurai
Christopher L
CL
Cromer
Xiaoyu
X
Li
Roop L
RL
Mahajan
John H
JH
Lehman