Abstract:
Energy distribution within a laser beam is measured and a sample of the intensity is obtained, providing a self-calibrated photograph on a single film sample. A burst of laser energy striking a wedge plate or prism within the beamspread measurement camera is divided into multiple reflections within the prism. Each reflection is at a slightly greater angle than the preceeding one and is attenuated with respect thereto. Each reflection is collected by a lens and focused onto a spectrographic plate located at the lens focal point. The diameter of each image on the film is the product of the lens focal length and beamspread. The distribution pattern of each reflected sample is recorded on the same plate and can be compared with preceeding samples, each sample being a known percentage of the preceeding waves. Relative energy as a function of beamspread is determined by measuring the energy density of each image with a densitometer. Any point on each image of reflected energy is a known percentage of that point on the other images and provides a standard for determining the contour ring for a particular energy density on the initial spot, thus providing a contour map of the main beam.