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Not all optical components are tested for laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) and testing methods differ, resulting in different types of LIDT specifications.

This comparison of the performance of aspheric, achromatic, and spherical PCX lenses in different situations reveals the ideal use cases for each type of lens.

Reduce the size and weight of your high magnification machine vision system with infinity corrected TECHSPEC® 120i Plan APO Infinity Corrected Objectives.

Highly reflective (HR) coatings are applied to optical components to minimize losses when reflecting lasers and other light sources.

Beam expanders can be used in reverse to decrease a laser beam's diameter, but divergence will be increased.

Light is absorbed in optical media through several methods including exciting electrons to higher energy states and converting to thermal energy

Subsurface damage in optical components can lead to increased absorption and scatter, reducing system performance.

Understanding the most commonly used laser optics materials will allow for easy navigation of EO’s wide selection of laser optics components.

Laser induced damage threshold (LIDT) of optics is a statistical value influenced by defect density, the testing method, and fluctuations in the laser.

Are you new to imaging or looking for a refresh on camera types? Learn about the advantages to camera types, digital interfaces, and more at Edmund Optics.

Want to know more about optical flats? Find information including an explanation, what optical flats show, applications, and more at Edmund Optics.

Learn what cylindrical lenses are, how they work, and how they are used in different systems in this guide by Edmund Optics.

Anamorphic prism pairs circularize elliptical laser beams, which results in smaller focused spot sizes.

Understanding the most common laser sources, modes of operation, and gain media provides the context for selecting the proper laser for your specific application.

Inhomogeneity and scatter from inclusions and bubbles in optical components can lead to worse performance, especially in laser optics applications.

The diameter of a laser highly affects an optic’s laser induced damage (LIDT) as beam diameter directly impacts the probability of laser damage.

Optical coatings are used to influence the transmission, reflection, or polarization properties of an optical component.

Discover the different types of testing targets and their ideal applications, advantages, limitations, equations, and examples at Edmund Optics.

Anti-reflection (AR) coatings are applied to optical components to increase throughput and reduce hazards caused by back-reflections.

Overspecifying optical losses in laser systems will not further improve your performance or reliability, but it could cost you additional money and/or time.

Superpolished optics with ultra-low surface roughness minimize scatter in optical systems, which is critical in sensitive laser applications.

Axicons can be used in a variety of different fields. Find out more about axicons and how to use them in applications at Edmund Optics.

The Strehl ratio of an optical system is a comparison of its real performance with its diffraction-limited performance.

Learn about specifications that should be considered when using cylinder lenses, including power axis wedge, plano axis wedge, and axial twist at Edmund Optics.

Dispersion is the dependence of the phase velocity or phase delay of light on another parameter, such as wavelength, propagation mode, or polarization.

Ultrafast highly-dispersive mirrors are critical for pulse compression and dispersion compensation in ultrafast laser applications, improving system performance.

Power density, energy density, fluence, and irradiance are often incorrectly used in laser optics applications. Learn the correct definitions and usage.

The length of a laser resonator determines the laser’s resonator modes, or the electric field distributions that cause a standing wave in the cavity.

The thermal properties of optical substrates including the CTE, dn/dT, and thermal conductivity are critical for predicting real-world performance

The short pulse durations of ultrafast lasers lead to broad wavelength bandwidths, making ultrafast systems especially susceptible to dispersion and pulse broadening.