Edited: 2011/11/14
On December 7th 2011, was held at LOA a workshop on the fundamental aspects of the damages generated by femtosecond laser pulses and on the optical coatings that may increase damage thresholds. The performance of femtosecond laser sources are indeed increasing both in high energy and in terms of short duration. The components used in these sources require both a wide spectral band, a small group velocity dispersion, high flux resistance and sometimes large transverse dimensions. The industrial applications and the constraints linked to such developments were also discussed.