Effects of laser plasma on damage in optical glass induced by pulsed lasers

Laser-induced plasma can expedite the deposition of incident laser energy and the laser-induced damage in optical glass is considerably affected by the magnitude and distribution of the plasma shock wave. The spatial distribution of energy deposition and expansion pressure of the laser plasma shock wave is analyzed based on the moving breakdown model. Furthermore, damage morphologies are discussed in light of the spatial distribution of pressure and glass properties. It was found that with the increase of laser pulse energy, the shock wave expands rapidly in the direction opposite to the incident laser, resulting in that the damage morphologies transform from sphere to spindle gradually. The laser energy deposits mostly in a narrow plasma channel. The diffusion of the plasma with high temperature and pressure leads to the shock wave; the intensity of which decreases sharply with the axial distance from the centerline. As a consequence, the glass near the centerline fractures and melts, and the refractive index also changes near the end of cracks.