Discontinuous phase elements for transverse mode selection in laser resonators
نویسندگان
چکیده
Discontinuous phase elements can be inserted into laser resonators so that the lasers will operate with only one desired high order transverse mode. These elements introduce sharp discontinuous phase changes so as to result in minimal losses for a desired transverse mode but high losses to others. The basic principles, along with experimental results with Nd:yttrium–aluminum–garnet and CO2 lasers, illustrating improved output powers with a high beam quality of low divergence, are presented. © 1999 American Institute of Physics. @S0003-6951~99!02610-8#
منابع مشابه
Transverse mode selection in laser resonators using volume Bragg gratings
Power scaling of high power laser resonators is limited due to several nonlinear effects. Scaling to larger mode areas can offset these effects at the cost of decreased beam quality, limiting the brightness that can be achieved from the multi-mode system. In order to improve the brightness from such multi-mode systems, we present a method of transverse mode selection utilizing volume Bragg grat...
متن کاملLaterally periodic resonator for large-area gain lasers.
Laterally periodic resonators, which can be constructed by use of transversely periodic phase- or amplitude-modulating elements in a cavity, are proposed for stabilization and generation of transversely coherent output from large-area gain. Lasers with periodic resonators have the combined features of conventional cavities and laser arrays. Significant low-order transverse modes and mode discri...
متن کاملMode-matched phase diffractive optical element for detecting laser modes with spiral phases.
A new type of diffractive optical element for detecting and measuring the power distribution of transverse modes emanating from radially symmetric laser resonators is presented. It is based on a relatively simple straightforward design of a phase-only diffractive optical element that serves as a matched filter, which correlates between specific prerecorded transverse modes with a certain azimut...
متن کاملGaussian modes in high loss laser resonators.
Matrix techniques are applied to the mode analysis of laser resonators having spherical mirrors and Gaussian profiles of the mirror reflectivity. These same analytical methods provide a useful approximation to the mode and loss characteristics of conventional resonators having an abrupt discontinuity of the reflectivity. Mode selection in apertured waveguides and resonators is also discussed.
متن کاملOptical Quality of Tilted Spherical Mirror Unstable Resonators
High power chemical lasers often have high aspect ratio gain regions, for which an unstable resonator with different magnifications in the two transverse dimensions is desirable. This paper considers a new class of unstable resonators which achieves the differential magnification property with spherical mirrors by suitably tilting the mirrors through large angles. Output optical quality has bee...
متن کامل