Ultra high damage threshold gas optics generated by UV pulse laser for high energy lasers

We've developed novel gas optics, specifically a gas grating, using UV lasers (250-280 nm, 10 ns pulse) and an ozoneoxygen mixture. This system generates ozone at atmospheric pressure and then uses interfering UV laser pulses to create a density-modulated structure in the gas. This approach yields a refractive index difference of 10^-5 to 10^-4, enabling efficient high-intensity laser diffraction with minimal loss. Our gas optics demonstrate a high damage threshold (1.7 kJ/cm²), high diffraction efficiency (<96%), and low generation energy (<70 mJ/cm²). Crucially, they offer significantly longer lifetimes. The gas optics are promising for compact, high-energy laser systems and new optical applications.