Investigation of the influence of stimulated Brillouin scattering on bulk damage to optical glasses

The influence of stimulated Brillouin scattering on the bulk damage to optical glasses was investigated for focused laser beams. The scattering process increased the damage threshold by a factor of 50 (and not reduced it, contrary to earlier reports). The increase was due to a redistribution of the radiation intensity, which lowered this intensity in the focal region of the lens because of the stimulated scattering.