Diffraction mechanism of crack formation accompanying laser damage to glass

An analysis is made of the formation of optical cracks, transverse to the beam, when quasi-cw laser radiation interacts with glass. These cracks may be formed by transient electrostrictive stresses created in glass by the radiation scattered on thermal inhomogeneities which develop during breakdown. Typical dimensions and spatial characteristics of this type of damage are interpreted in terms of the classical theory of the Mie diffraction. The relationship between the crack formation threshold, the universal parameters of the medium, and the experimental conditions is considered.