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Use of radiation pressure for measurement of high-power laser emission
Published
Author(s)
Paul A. Williams, Joshua A. Hadler, Robert Lee, Frank Maring, John H. Lehman
Abstract
We demonstrate a paradigm in absolute laser radiometry where a laser beam's power can be measured from its radiation pressure. Using an off-the-shelf high-accuracy mass scale and a 500 W Yb-doped fiber laser and a 92 kW CO2 laser, we show preliminary results of absolute optical power measurements with an accuracy of at least 7 %. We find a negligible contribution from radiometric forces. We also identify this scale's dynamic force noise floor (for a 0.1 Hz modulation frequency) as 4uN/Hz^1/2, or as optical power sensitivity, 600 W/Hz^1/2.
Williams, P.
, Hadler, J.
, Lee, R.
, Maring, F.
and Lehman, J.
(2013),
Use of radiation pressure for measurement of high-power laser emission, Optics Letters, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=914101
(Accessed October 10, 2025)