title: Evaluating the effect of transmissive optic thermal lensing on laser beam quality with a shack-hartmann wave-front sensor.
abstract: We examine wave-front distortion caused by high-power lasers on transmissive optics using a Shack-Hartmann wave-front sensor. The coupling coefficient for a thermally aberrated Gaussian beam to the TEM(00) mode of a cavity was determined as a function of magnitude of the thermally induced aberration. One wave of thermally induced phase aberration between the Gaussian intensity peak and the 1/e(2) radius of the intensity profile reduces the power-coupling coefficient to the TEM(00) mode of the cavity to 4.5% with no compensation. With optimal focus compensation the power coupling is increased to 79%. The theoretical shape of the thermally induced optical phase aberration is compared with measurements made in a neutral-density filter glass, Faraday glass, and lithium niobate. The agreement between the theoretical and the measured thermal aberration profiles is within the rms wave-front measurement sensitivity of the Shack-Hartmann wave-front sensor, which is a few nanometers.
authors: J D
authors: JD
authors: Mansell
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Hennawi
authors: E K
authors: EK
authors: Gustafson
authors: M M
authors: MM
authors: Fejer
authors: R L
authors: RL
authors: Byer
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Clubley
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Yoshida
authors: D H
authors: DH
authors: Reitze