Hot-image effects in high-power solid-state laser systems

Hot-image effect is one of the key factors limiting the performance and output power of high-power laser systems, especially in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) laser driver systems. Certain optical components are often damaged accidentally due to the presence of hot-image even if the systems are operating at the intensity level below the typical damage threshold when hot-image happens. The research progress on the hot-image effects is summarized, including the diffraction model for hot-image formation, the analytical theory on hot-image in case of thin-sheet approximation, the evolution of the hot-image in cases of thick medium and cascade medium, the characteristics of hot-images caused from multi-scatterer, the restraining methods on hot-images and so on. Finally, some important problems to be solved on hot-image in theory and experiment are also listed.