Abstract
We report extensive measurements of damage thresholds for fused silica and calcium fluoride at 1053 and 526 nm for pulse durations ranging from 270 fs to 1 ns. Qualitative differences in the morphology of damage and a departure from the diffusion-dominated scaling indicate that damage results from plasma formation and ablation for ps and from conventional melting and boiling for ps. A theoretical model based on electron production via multiphoton ionization, Joule heating, and collisional (avalanche) ionization is in good agreement with experimental results.
- Received 24 August 1994
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.74.2248
©1995 American Physical Society