Processing application used in beam characterization

ABSTRACT CCD based laser beam characterization system is widely used in many experimental and industrial applications. Besidesmany factors of the CCD measurement system and the properties of the beams power density distributions to bemeasured, the obtained accuracy of laser beam characterization also strongly depends on the effectiveness of dataprocessing algorithm. In this paper a Windows based processing application and its features and key processingalgorithm are introduced and also a software related proposal is raised, such as common interface of measurement onsimulated beam with given beam width, background and noise; universal image data storage format which wouldfacilitate the international wide collaboration on the effectiveness evaluation of different processing application andsystem.Keywords: Beam Characterization, M2, Beam Width, Image Processing, CCD 1. iNTRODUCTION In recent years, the technology of laser beam analyzers using camera sensors has advanced rapidly. Commercialinstruments are available from a number of vendors, including a PC-based analyzer from Coherent Instruments, PC-based analyzers running under Windows from Merchantek and SensorPhysics, Especially Spiricon recently introduceda CCD camera,PC-based analyzer. This instument features a framegrabber card that runs on the PCI bus and softwareoperation under Windows which permits extensive and illuminating beam views in two and three dimensions. Spiriconengineers have also developed software algorithms that enable more accurate beam parameter measurements. Throughprior investigation on many factors which would influence the measurement accuracy in the laser beam characterizationsystem, we designed and developed a even much more functional laser beam characterization system, related processalgorithm and corresponding software application which would guarantee relatively high measurement accuracy. In thispaper we will make emphasis on brief introduction on the software process application we developed, discussion on theproposal we raised, which would facilitate national and international wide collaboration in the beam characterizationfield.