Photoacoustic technique to measure beam profile of pulsed laser systems

The beam profiles of pulsed lasers are currently measured using either complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) or charge coupled device (CCD) cameras. Despite providing high-resolution beam profiles, these devices cannot work with high power lasers. If additional optical attenuators are used, beam distortions may occur. In this paper we demonstrate a high-resolution photoacoustic technique capable of measuring the beam profile of pulsed lasers. The beam profiles of a pulsed neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet (Nd:YAG) laser and a pulsed optical parametric oscillator (OPO) laser system were measured using a polydimethylsiloxane film and a single element high-frequency ultrasonic transducer. The advantages and limitations of the developed photoacoustic technique are discussed.