Metrological Characteristics of Measuring Laser Power Divider

The study analyzes the errors of the measuring optical power divider of laser radiation. This divider is used to transmit a unit of average power of high-intensity laser radiation and is structurally designed as a wedge. The error of the division factor, which affects the accuracy of the unit transmission, is determined. The random component of the division factor error estimation is assessed. A determination method based on the rearrangement of the measuring instruments used is proposed to provide the most probable estimate. The error caused by the nonlinearity of the measuring instruments used to determine the division factor is investigated, and its largest interval is estimated. In case of invariability of the conversion coefficients of the measuring instruments used on the laser radiation power, the method excludes the dependence of the error in determining the division factor on the said coefficients and reduces their influence on the transmission error. The possibility of controlling the divider division factor by determining the control parameter and its confidence interval when transmitting a radiation power unit is substantiated, and a formula for calculating this interval in each measurement cycle is obtained. The parameter value and the change in confidence interval can be used to control the reliability of the transmission of a power unit to the calibrated measuring tool in real time.