We investigate effects of laser-induced contamination (LIC) with contaminant materials and laser parameters relevant for the LISA space mission. To accelerate outgassing and a possible deposit formation, the contaminant materials have been heated to a temperature of up to 100 °C (nominal operating temperature of 20° C), and LIC tests were performed with a laser power density of up to 300 W/cm2 (to be compared with expected 125 W/cm2). Neither in-situ measurements (laser transmission, polarization and wavefront), nor a careful microscopic inspection of the optical surfaces after the LIC tests showed indications of a laser-induced deposit formation. Condensation on optical surfaces could be observed. This is cautiously encouraging for LISA and indicates that the LIC concern may be reduced compared to what observed at shorter wavelength or with pulsed laser radiation.
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We have recently reported a method to improve the laser-induced damage threshold of UV laser optics by mitigating damage precursors (nano-sized absorbers) during the manufacturing of ion-beam sputtered, anti-reflective optical coatings. To further optimize parameters of the coating and particle mitigation schemes, we had to assess the damage resistance of laser optics with a low density of damage precursors. This was achieved using large area raster scans in which a highintensity laser beam was scanned over the optical surface. Via image processing of microscopic data, we then derived the density and size distribution of laser-induced damages for each raster scan. This advanced test method is described in this work and prepared the path to the manufacturing of improved laser optics that can be used to increase the performance and reliability of lasers in future space missions. Furthermore, we report on the comparison of standard and improved laser optics in tests of laser-induced contamination at 355 and 266 nm.
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