Nonlinear absorption in ultraviolet window materials

Recent advances in high-brightness UV lasers have generated interest in the nonlinear optical properties of UV window materials. Such high-brightness laser systems, based on the amplification of picosecond or subpicosecond pulses in excimer laser media, are routinely delivering peak optical powers of 10-50 GW to a 1-2-cm2 output window1,2 with as much as 100 GW/cm2 expected in future systems.