title: Thermal blooming: round beam vs square beam.
abstract: We have examined Fried's suggestion that an initially square high-power laser beam will experience significantly less thermal blooming than a round beam. In almost every case of interest the computer results were the opposite of what he suggested, indicating the importance, and rather unintuitive nature, of diffraction.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Maclnnis