Characterization of laser-induced damage by picosecond pulses on multi-layer dielectric coatings for petawatt-class lasers

We investigate the optical damage performance of multi-layer dielectric (MLD) coatings suitable for use in high energy, large-aperture petawatt-class lasers. We employ small-area damage test methodologies to evaluate the damage resistance of various coatings as a function of deposition methods and coating materials under simulated use conditions. In addition, we demonstrate that damage initiation by raster scanning at lower fluences and growth threshold testing are required to estimate large-aperture optics’ performance.