Laser Divergence Calculator - divergence matters: Beam behavior over distance

The beam divergence describes the widening of the beam over the distance. It is defined in milli-radiant (mrad), which usually describes a part of the circumcircle.

Generally spoken, it is best to have a divergence as small as possible.

The beam divergence is in direct relation to the beam size at aperture: By increasing the beam size at the aperture it is possible to reduce the divergence - and vice versa. This is possible to a certain extent, depending on the technology.

To see the importance of the beam divergence, please make some example calculations with our divergence calculator - you can clearly see the importance if the distance is increased:

Please fill in all values, at least for Laser 1


Distance [m]:


Laser 1:
Laser 2:
Power [mW]:
Power [mW]:
Divergence [mrad]:
Divergence [mrad]:
Diameter at aperture [mm]:
Diameter at aperture [mm]:

Thousands separator: ,
Decimal separator: .

Value definition:Laser 1:Laser 2:
Beam diametre after m: mm mm
Area of laser point after m: mm2 mm2
Laser intensity after m: mW/mm2 mW/mm2


More information on divergence

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