Analysis of a mechanism of laser damage to transparent polymers associated with their viscoelastic properties

A theoretical analysis is made of a mechanism of laser damage to transparent polymers associated with their viscoelastic properties. Threshold conditions are found for the formation of visible damage in cases of large (~0.1 μ) and small (<0.1 μ) absorbing inclusions. It is found that the optical strength of polymers depends strongly on their viscoelastic properties which influence the structure factor. A comparison between the calculated results and the experimental data showed that this mechanism accurately explains the main characteristics of laser damage to transparent polymers.