Relationship between damage thresholds of glass caused by laser pulses of different durations

Experimental results were used as the basis for an empirical formula relating the threshold densities of the pulse-average power causing damage to the surface of optical glass with the duration of laser pulses in the range from tens of picoseconds to tens of milliseconds. An examination is made of the possibility of the same mechanism being responsible for the damage to glass surfaces caused by laser pulses of different durations.