Versatile Absorption Modeling for Transmissive Optical Elements Using Ray Tracing and Finite Element Analysis

TL;DR

This paper introduces a flexible absorption modeling method combining ray tracing and finite element analysis to accurately simulate thermal disturbances in optical systems, including dynamic and transient effects.

Contribution

It presents a novel, adaptable approach for modeling absorption in optical elements using ray tracing with various heat source mapping techniques, enabling transient and dynamic simulations.

Findings

Effective mapping methods for heat sources along rays

Simulation of transient thermal phenomena in optical elements

Enhanced accuracy in modeling thermal disturbances

Abstract

Emerging quality requirements in modern optical systems increase the need for accurate simulation and compensation of disturbances. One key disturbance in high-power laser applications results from thermal loading due to absorption. This paper presents a flexible modeling approach for absorption based on ray tracing, where point heat sources are defined along ray paths. In addition, several methods for mapping these point heat sources along the ray path to the finite element mesh are introduced and compared. A major advantage of the proposed approach lies in its flexibility, as it enables the simulation of transient phenomena such as dynamic beam positioning and time-dependent variations in beam shape.