Product Code: JLA_9_5_261

Authors:
Arthur H. Guenther
Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106, U.S.A.

The 28th annual symposium on optical materials for high‐power lasers (Boulder damage symposium) was held at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, CO, 7–9 October 1996. The symposium was held under the joint sponsorship of Bennett Optical Research, the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) at the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) at the University of Central Florida, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and SPIE—The International Society for Optical Engineering. Over 130 scientists attended the symposium, including representatives from France, Germany, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Hungary, Armenia, Israel, the UK, and the US. The symposium was divided into sessions concerning materials and measurements, surfaces and mirrors, thin films, fundamental mechanisms, and a mini‐symposium on ‘Laser‐Induced Damage in Optical Fibers,’ organized by R. E. Setchell and Sandia National Laboratories. As in previous years, the emphasis of the papers presented at the symposium was directed toward new frontiers and new developments. Particular emphasis was given to materials for high‐power laser systems. The wavelength range of prime interest was from 10.6 μm in the infrared to the UV region. Highlights included surface characterization, thin film/substrate boundaries, and advances in fundamental laser‐matter interactions and mechansims. Harold E. Bennett of Bennett Optical Research, Inc., Arthur H. Guenther of Sandia National Laboratories, Mark R. Kozlowski of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Brian E. Newnam of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and M. J. Soileau of the University of Central Florida were co‐chairs of the symposium. The 29th annual symposium is scheduled for 6–8 October 1997 at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO. An added feature will be a wholly self‐contained mini‐symposium on ‘Damage in Laser Diodes’ organized by David Welch of Spectra Diode Laboratories.