Method for measuring small optical absorption coefficients with use of a Shack-Hartmann wave-front detector

Sanichiro Yoshida; David H Reitze; David B Tanner; Justin D Mansell

doi:10.1364/ao.42.004835

Method for measuring small optical absorption coefficients with use of a Shack-Hartmann wave-front detector

Appl Opt. 2003 Aug 20;42(24):4835-40. doi: 10.1364/ao.42.004835.

Authors

Sanichiro Yoshida¹, David H Reitze, David B Tanner, Justin D Mansell

Affiliation

¹ Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory-Livingston, 19100 Ligo Lane, P.O. Box 940, Livingston, Louisiana 70754, USA. syoshida@selu.edu

PMID: 12952327
DOI: 10.1364/ao.42.004835

Abstract

We present a method for measuring absorption at the 1 x 10(-5) cm(-1) level in high-quality optical materials. Using a Shack-Hartmann wave-front detector, thermal lensing in these materials may be measured. Then, the absorption coefficient may be estimated by fitting the observed deformation to a thermal lensing model based on the temperature dependences of the refractive index and the thermal expansion coefficient. For a particular sample of fused silica, the absorption coefficient was determined to be 1.8 +/- 0.4 x 10(-5) cm(-1). Obtaining this result requires a resolution in the optical path length better than +/- 0.1 nm.