MW/cm²
megawatt per square centimeter
Intensityexact by definition
The megawatt per square centimetre is exactly 1e10 watts per square metre. It is the scale of laser cutting and welding at focus, of laser-induced damage thresholds on optical coatings, and of the pulsed intensities used in laser ablation and shock peening. The conversion is exact.
Watch out: For a pulsed laser this is a peak intensity, and it says nothing about the average power the optics must survive thermally. A source can deliver megawatts per square centimetre at the peak of a nanosecond pulse while averaging a few watts, which is why coatings are rated on both fluence per pulse and average power.
| 1 MW/cm² | 10,000,000,000 W/m² |
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