Abstract
A ground-based laser system for space-debris cleaning will use powerful laser pulses that can self-focus while propagating through the atmosphere. We demonstrate that for the relevant laser parameters, this self-focusing can noticeably decrease the laser intensity on the target. We show that the detrimental effect can be, to a great extent, compensated for by applying the optimal initial beam defocusing. The effect of laser elevation on the system performance is discussed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | e159 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Light |
Volume | 3 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 11 Apr 2014 |
Bibliographical note
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Works 3.0 Unported license. To view a copy of
this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0
Keywords
- laser
- self-focusing
- space debris