Crack arrest and stress dependence of laser-induced surface damage in fused-silica and borosilicate glass.

Results of experiments on stress-inhibited laser-driven crack growth and stress-delayed laser-damage initiation thresholds in fused silica, borosilicate glass (BK-7), and cleaved bulk silica are presented. A numerical model is developed to explain the crack arrest in fused silica. Good agreement is obtained between the model and a finite-element code. The crack arrest is demonstrated to be the result of the breaking of a hoop-stress symmetry that is responsible for crack propagation in fused silica.