Improved Laser Attenuation Means

The present invention provides protection from lasers with a high nonlinearbsorption structure including a mirror which directs an incident beam to a beam splitter. A focusing lens receives and focuses the radiation to a higher intensity beam which is directed into an absorption material with a third order polarization property. Such materials will cause a two-photon absorption partial attenuation from the intensified beam when the incident radiation intensity is greater than ambient intensity. A focusing mirror receives the partially attenuated beam and reflects and refocuses the partially attenuated beam back through the absorption material, which now acts as a single photon absorption material to further attenuate the beam. The doubly attenuated beam passes through the focusing lens which recollimates the doubly attenuated beam and directs it to the beam splitter which in turn directs the beam to the receiving device. A normal intensity beam will not activate the absorption mechanism of the absorption material and will pass through the system essentially unaffected.