{"id":6568,"date":"2017-04-05T12:30:53","date_gmt":"2017-04-05T12:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ophiropt.com\/blog\/laser-measurement\/?p=6568"},"modified":"2024-06-27T14:45:47","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T14:45:47","slug":"can-really-measure-laser-beam-quality-m-squared-real-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ophiropt.com\/blog\/can-really-measure-laser-beam-quality-m-squared-real-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Really Measure Laser Beam Quality (M Squared) in Real Time?"},"content":{"rendered":"

M-Squared is arguably the single most important factor<\/a> when determining the potential efficiency of your laser.<\/p>\n

However, it can be a pain to measure.\u00a0 Since the beam quality can be calculated only by taking several measurements along the laser beam caustic, you will typically need to move either the camera or laser source along its axis to get snapshots at different locations.<\/p>\n

Here are two approaches you can use that actually DON\u2019T move the camera or the laser:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. BeamSquared for very reliable M2 measurement<\/li>\n
  2. MS-1780 for real time (20 Hz) M2 measurement<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    As usual, to decide which method is right for you, you\u2019ll have to take a closer look at the tradeoffs\u2026<\/p>\n

    MS-1780<\/h4>\n

    Both BeamSquared and the MS-1780 are technically<\/em> accurate to 5%, but for the MS-1780 this is in ideal conditions.\u00a0 In reality, it can be hard to reach that level because it is very sensitive to setup conditions.<\/p>\n

    The incredible speed is from its patented method of using laser optics to sample the beam at 10 spots in the caustic in one shot.\u00a0 Not only does this mean you can get your measurement without waiting, it also enables real-time M2 tracking to see thermal transients in your lasers and optics, changes occurring over a few seconds of warm-up time.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

    The tricky part is the setup:\u00a0 You need to get the internal focus in the right place, as well as precise horizontal\/vertical alignment.<\/p>\n

    Note \u2013 we\u2019ve noticed that some customer have no trouble at all getting this set up.\u00a0 These lasers tend to be small (~2mm or less) and highly ideal Gaussians (M2 of 1.0-1.5, few imperfections).<\/p>\n

    So, to summarize:<\/p>\n