John Bellum, PhD

Consultant in Optical Coatings, Coherent Technologies, Albuquerque, NM, USA

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America

Research Expertise

Optical coatings for high energy lasers
Laser damage resistant optical coatings
Laser optics
Materials science
Surfaces and interfaces
Surfaces, coatings, and films
Optical materials

About

I am a consultant specializing in laser damage resistant optical coatings. I have extensive experience as a physicist and optical engineer, with BS and PhD degrees in physics, SPIE and Optica (formerly Optical Society of America) senior memberships, and 50+ scientific publications.  My expertise in laser damage resistant optical coatings is based on my experience at Sandia National Laboratories where, from 2004 to 2017, I designed and produced optical coatings for the meter-size optics of Sandia’s petawatt-class Z-Backlighter high energy lasers. I was a distributor for OptiLayer Thin Film Software from 2017 to 2022.

Legacy Map

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Publications

Electronic-to-vibrational energy transfer in collisions of excited sodium with molecular hydrogen
The Journal of Chemical Physics
1979
Quantum mechanical theory of collisional ionization in the presence of intense laser radiation
The Journal of Chemical Physics
1978
Reactive ion-assisted deposition of e-beam evaporated titanium for high refractive index TiO2 layers and laser damage resistant, broad bandwidth, high-reflection coatings
Applied Optics
2013
Meeting thin film design and production challenges for laser damage resistant optical coatings at the Sandia Large Optics Coating Operation
SPIE Proceedings
2009
Sandia's Z-Backlighter Laser Facility
SPIE Proceedings
2016
Comparisons of hafnia/silica anti-reflection coatings
Optical Interference Coatings
2010
THEORY OF MOLECULAR RATE PROCESSES IN THE PRESENCE OF INTENSE LASER RADIATION
Chemical and Biochemical Applications of Lasers
1979
A coupled channels approach to Penning ionization of Ar BY He*(Is2s, 3S)
Chemical Physics
1977
Impact of different cleaning processes on the laser damage threshold of antireflection coatings for Z-Backlighter optics at Sandia National Laboratories
Optical Engineering
2014
Coupling of discrete and continuum electronic states in atom-atom collisions: A coupled-channels investigation of Penning ionization inHe*(1s2s, S3)+ Ar
Physical Review A
1978
Collisional ionization in the presence of intense laser radiation: Quantum-mechanical calculations for He* (3S)+Ar±h/ω→He+Ar+(2P)+e−
The Journal of Chemical Physics
1979
The treatment of correlation effects in second-order properties
International Journal of Quantum Chemistry
2009
Production of Optical Coatings Resistant to Damage by Petawatt Class Laser Pulses
Lasers - Applications in Science and Industry
2011
Low Group Delay Dispersion Optical Coating for Broad Bandwidth High Reflection at 45° Incidence, P Polarization of Femtosecond Pulses with 900 nm Center Wavelength
Coatings
2016
Reactive, Ion-Assisted Deposition of E-Beam Evaporated Ti for High Refractive Index TiO2 Layers and Laser Damage Resistant, Broad Bandwidth, High Reflection Coatings
Optical Interference Coatings
2013
Penning ionization of Ar by He* (1s2s, 3S) in the presence of intense laser radiation: Pronounced laser-modified collisional effects in the emitted-electron energy spectrum
The Journal of Chemical Physics
1978
Design and laser damage properties of a dichroic beam combiner coating for 22.5-deg incidence and S polarization with high transmission at 527 nm and high reflection at 1054 nm
Optical Engineering
2016
Repair of a mirror coating on a large optic for high laser damage applications using ion milling and over-coating methods
Optical Engineering
2016
Optical damage testing at the Z-Backlighter facility at Sandia National Laboratories
SPIE Proceedings
2009
Analysis of laser damage tests on coatings designed for broad bandwidth high reflection of femtosecond pulses
Optical Engineering
2016
How reduced vacuum pumping capability in a coating chamber affects the laser damage resistance of HfO2/SiO2antireflection and high-reflection coatings
Optical Engineering
2016
Diatomic molecular-orbital correlation diagrams for Penning and associative ionization
Physical Review A
1977
Laser damage comparisons of broad-bandwidth, high-reflection optical coatings containing TiO2, Nb2O5, or Ta2O5high-index layers
Optical Engineering
2016
Experimental investigation of phase conjugation in stimulated Brillouin scattering of beams with mild cylindrical aberration
Optics Letters
1988
Tools for Improving Precision Optical Coatings through E-Beam Sweep Design
Optical Interference Coatings
2007
Broad bandwidth high reflection coatings for petawatt class lasers: femtosecond pulse laser damage tests, and measurement of group delay dispersion
SPIE Proceedings
2017
Laser damage, a new US standard: What is in it for me?
Components and Packaging for Laser Systems VI
2020
The Effect of Coating System Base Pressure on the Laser Damage Threshold of HfO2/SiO2 High Reflection Coatings for 527 nm
Optical Interference Coatings 2016
2016
Quantum-mechanical theory for electronic-vibrational-rotational energy transfer in atom–diatom collisions: Analysis of the Hamiltonian
The Journal of Chemical Physics
1983
U.S. National Committee proposed revision to the ISO Laser Damage Standard
Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials 2017
2017
Analysis of VUV and soft x‐ray lasing based on charge‐exchange mechanisms
AIP Conference Proceedings
1982
Coatings for Petawatt-Class High-Energy Lasers
Optics and Photonics News
2022
Experiments in support of the proposed US National Damage Standard
Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials 2021
2021
Development of US national laser damage standard: 2020 status
Laser-induced Damage in Optical Materials 2020
2020
U.S. National Committee proposed revision to the ISO Laser Damage Standard: 2019 progress report (Conference Presentation)
Laser-induced Damage in Optical Materials 2019
2019
Acknowledgement to Reviewers of Coatings in 2016
Coatings
2017
Summary Report: NMSBA CY 2016 - AEgis Technologies Group Inc. #12458.
Unknown Venue
2016
Photonics at TVI Community College – a critical rung in New Mexico’s photonics education ladder
Education and Training in Optics and Photonics
2003
Study of Molecular Collision Dynamics for Chemical Laser Systems.
Unknown Venue
1982
Laser-Enhanced Dynamics in Molecular Rate Processes
Radiation Energy Conversion in Space
1978
Effectiveness of ion cleaning to improve the laser damage threshold of HfO2/SiO2optical coatings for high reflection and antireflection at 527 nm and 1054 nm
SPIE Proceedings
2016
Use of Al2O3 layers for higher laser damage threshold at 22.5° incidence, S polarization of a 527 nm/1054 nm dichroic coating
SPIE Proceedings
2016
Analysis of laser damage tests on a coating for broad bandwidth high reflection of femtosecond pulses
Pacific Rim Laser Damage 2015: Optical Materials for High-Power Lasers
2015
Comparative STEREO-LID (Spatio-TEmporally REsolved Optical Laser-Induced Damage) studies of critical defect distributions in IBS, ALD, and electron-beam coated dielectric films
Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials: 2015
2015
Design and laser damage properties of a dichroic beam combiner coating for 22.5° incidence and S polarization with high-transmission at 527nm and high-reflection at 1054nm
Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials: 2015
2015
How laser damage resistance of HfO2/SiO2optical coatings is affected by embedded contamination caused by pausing the deposition process
Pacific Rim Laser Damage 2015: Optical Materials for High-Power Lasers
2015
How reduced vacuum pumping capability in a coating chamber affects the laser damage resistance of HfO2/SiO2antireflection and high-reflection coatings
Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials: 2015
2015
Repair of a mirror coating on a large optic for high laser-damage applications using ion milling and over-coating methods
SPIE Proceedings
2014
The impact of different cleaning processes on the laser damage threshold of antireflection coatings for Z-Backlighter optics at Sandia National Laboratories
SPIE Proceedings
2014
Laser damage comparisons of broad-bandwidth, high-reflection optical coatings containing TiO2, Nb2O5, or Ta2O5high index layers
SPIE Proceedings
2013
Comparisons between laser damage and optical electric field behaviors for hafnia/silica antireflection coatings
Applied Optics
2011
Z-Backlighter facility upgrades: a path to short/long pulse, multi-frame, multi-color x-ray backlighting at the Z-Accelerator
SPIE Proceedings
2011
Dual wavelength laser damage testing for high energy lasers
SPIE Proceedings
2010
Laser damage by ns and sub-ps pulses on hafnia/silica anti-reflection coatings on fused silica double-sided polished using zirconia or ceria and washed with or without an alumina wash step
SPIE Proceedings
2010
Nanosecond 1064nm damage thresholds for bare and anti-reflection coated silica surfaces
Laser-Induced Damage in Optical Materials: 2008
2008
Photonics at TVI Community College: a critical rung in New Mexico's photonics education ladder
SPIE Proceedings
2003
A semiclassical approach to collisional ionization with application to the ArHe system
Chemical Physics
1978
A study of single-electron and total energies for some pairs of noble gas atoms
International Journal of Quantum Chemistry
2009
The electronic spectra of conjugated free radicals
Molecular Physics
1973

Education

University of Florida

PhD, Department of Physics / August, 1976

Gainesville, Florida, United States of America

Georgia Institute of Technology

BS, Department of Physics / June, 1968

Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America

Experience

Coherent Technologies

Consultant / February, 2017 — Present

I am a consultant specializing in laser damage resistant optical coatings for high energy lasers.

Sandia National Laboratories

Scientist and Engineer in Optical Engineering / September, 2012 — February, 2017

Lead optical engineer/scientist for Sandia's large optics coating facility responsible for the design and production of high laser-induced damage threshold optical coatings for the meter-size windows, mirrors, and lenses of Sandia's Z-Backlighter petawatt-class lasers.

Sandia National Laboratories

Optical Engineer and Scientist under contract to Sandia National Laboratories / April, 2004 — September, 2012

Lead optical engineer/scientist for Sandia's large optics coating facility responsible for the design and production of high laser-induced damage threshold optical coatings for the meter-size windows, mirrors, and lenses of Sandia's Z-Backlighter petawatt-class lasers.

Links & Social Media

Research Web Site

consulting website

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