A c-radius technique for determination of beam profiles

A simple technique for determination of the beam profile is described. This technique is based on the c-radius concept, and does not require elaborate equipment.An example of beam profile determination of a CO2 laser is presented. A heat sensitive thermal printer paper was used to generate the images of the laser beam at various exposure times. Rased on the images, the beam profile was plotted and compared with a Gaussian profile. This technique also allows an estimation of the 1/e2 radius of a near Gaussian beam.