http://www.ausairpower.net/AADR-HEL-Dec-81.htmlA polished surface will obviously reflect more energy than a roughened one. Here is where, though, a snag appears for the airborne use of lasers. The reflectivity of polished aluminium to the 10.6 micron radiation of a C02 laser is about 97 per cent. Only three per cent of the energy transmitted is absorbed initially and that clearly indicates how much more power is required.