Abstract

We propose to use an intense, coherent, light source in the VUV and XUV spectral regions, such as the proposed Los Alamos free-electron laser (FEL) user facility, to study radiation-induced defects in amorphous materials. The optical materials of interest are those associated with thin-film coatings, windows, and lenses used in most UV and visible lasers. The life, reliability, and performance of these lasers may be significantly affected by the UV environment of the laser. Examples include FELs themselves which generate harmonics of the fundamental lasing wavelength far into the VUV. Other examples include most, if not all, gas lasers where the optics, particularly thin-film coatings, are exposed to the gas plasma discharge.

© 1988 Optical Society of America