Portable high-accuracy non-absorbing laser power measurement at kilowatt levels by means of radiation pressure

Published

February 16, 2016

Author(s)

Paul A. Williams, Joshua A. Hadler, Frank C. Maring, Robert Lee, Kyle A. Rogers, Brian J. Simonds, Matthew T. Spidell, Ari D. Feldman, John H. Lehman

Abstract

We describe a unique optical power meter which measures the radiation pressure to accurately determine a laser’s optical power output. This approach traces its calibration of the optical Watt to the kilogram. Our power meter is designed for high-accuracy and portability with the capability of multi-kilowatt measurements whose upper power limit is limited only by the mirror quality. We provide detailed uncertainty evaluation and validate experimentally an average expanded relative uncertainty of 0.016 from 1 kW to 10 kW. Radiation pressure as a power measurement tool is unique to the extent that it does not rely on absorption of the light to produce a high-accuracy result. This permits fast measurements, simplifies power scalability, and allows high-accuracy measurements to be made during use of the laser for other applications.

Citation

Optics Express

Volume

25

Issue

4

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.25.004382

Keywords

Radiation pressure, laser radiometry, photon momentum, optical power meter

Citation

Williams, P. , Hadler, J. , Maring, F. , Lee, R. , Rogers, K. , Simonds, B. , Spidell, M. , Feldman, A. and Lehman, J. (2016), Portable high-accuracy non-absorbing laser power measurement at kilowatt levels by means of radiation pressure, Optics Express, [online], https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.25.004382 (Accessed October 9, 2025)