Laser safety is of crucial importance for civil and non-civil applications when the free-space propagation of high-power lasers is considered. In addition to intrabeam viewing, specular and diffuse reflections can also be a potential threat to the human eye. The featured study of Henrichsen et al. from the Fraunhofer IOSB in Ettlingen is worth reading for many reasons: First, the experimental setup allows for studying the dynamics of scattered laser radiation from metallic targets. The different phases of laser-material interaction are thoroughly analyzed based on time-resolved images of the scattered laser radiation. Second, numerical calculations are presented to understand the observed phenomena (i.e. caustics), which is always a sign of a good paper when experiment and theory come together. Third, laser safety distances are derived from the measurements, which can be of practical relevance for users. The study is rich in detail and provides comprehensive knowledge for every reader who wants to learn more about the laser safety of high-power lasers.

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