Ultra-smooth focusing mirrors for high-power laser experiments

Benefitting from a stable production facility based deep inside a chalk cliff, Optical Surfaces skilled engineering team produce off-axis parabolic mirrors with surface accuracy, surface microroughness and surface slope errors at the limit of what is possible.

Wayne Harris, Managing director of Optical Surfaces commented: “Few companies in the world can produce off-axis parabolic (OAP) mirrors of sufficient quality to enable Petawatt and Zettawatt lasers to focus their massive energy down onto targets only a few microns in size. The laser-plasma interactions under these conditions can produce energetic beams of electrons and protons as well as bright, coherent sources of X-rays enabling researchers to address fundamental questions in astrophysics and plasma physics”.

Continuing Mr Harris said “OAP’s offer the advantage of an unobstructed aperture and access to the focal plane. In addition, due to their completely achromatic performance, they are especially suitable for broadband or multiple wavelength laser applications. Many optical and system designers favour OAPs as they often provide the most cost-effective answer without any compromise in performance and present the ideal solution to many high-power laser beam focusing applications”.