
ix
Preface
Since the very beginning of laser technology, the limitations in the power-handling
capability of optical components were always an obstacle for the development of laser
systems and applications operating at high power levels and improved beam quality. In
the early days of laser development, mainly the inclusions in laser rod materials were
discussed as a major complication in the augmentation of the output power in solid-
state laser systems. Nowadays, in the course of the development of optical materials
with excellent quality and power-handling capability, the problem of laser-induced
damage has shied from the bulk to the surface ...