Abstract:
An analysis is performed of the general relationships of the statistical theory of laser-induced damage in transparent solids caused by absorbing inclusions. It is shown that the structure of the statistical theory equations determines the interrelation of various dependences of the damage thresholds on physical parameters. This results in the equivalence of the spot-size dependence of the damage threshold and the reliability of the transparent solid, as well as in a similarity of the threshold dependences obtained upon single-shot and multishot irradiation. The predictions of the theory are in good agreement with the experimental data.