Kinetics of accumulation of laser damage in transparent insulators

An experimental investigation was made of the dependence of the lifetime of α-LiJO₃ crystals on the intensity of laser radiation of various frequencies applied in the form of pulses of different durations. The results obtained were accounted for on the assumption that the rate of breaking of atomic bonds was governed by multiphoton ionization of the crystal matrix and that clusters of defects, generated by the incident radiation, were formed as a result of diffusion.