Laser resonators : novel design and development

Title:

Publication Information:

Bellingham, WA : SPIE Optical Engineering Press, 1999

Physical Description:

xiii, 301 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.

ISBN:

9780819433176

Subject Term:

Lasers -- Resonators

Added Author:

Kudryashov, Alexis V.

Weber, Horst, 1935-

Added Corporate Author:

Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers

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Library	Item Barcode	Call Number	Material Type	Item Category 1	Status
Searching... PSZ JB	30000010203844	TA1675 L376 1999	Open Access Book	Book	Searching... Unknown

The resonator can be considered the real heart of any laser system, the key element that determines the properties of laser radiation, including mode structure or temporal and spatial characteristics. The theory of different laser types has been well-developed in the last few decades of the 20th century, starting with the pioneering papers of Fox, Li, Body and Gordon. But today, due to the development of new types of lasers (fibre, diode), new optical elements (adaptive mirrors, phase conjugation techniques, graded phase correctors), the development of optical technology, and new needs for industrial lasers, novel types of resonators are under investigation. Unlike some monographs on laser resonators, this work does not present classical theory and the derivation of the basic equations of laser mode generation and so on. Instead, based on the well-known earlier literature, new results in the field of laser resonators are presented. Although it is not a textbook, it outlines the novel trends in the development of laser resonators science, shows what has already been achieved in this field, and indicates directions for research and applications.

Guido Mann and Stefan Seidel and Horst WeberSiamak Makki and James R. LegerAlexis KudryashovThomas Henning and Uwe HabichHans J. Eichler and Andreas Haase and Oliver MehlKen-ichi UedaYves Champagne and Deni Bonnier and Simon ThibaultTheodore C. Salvi and Sylvia DoratoMikhael Martinez and John K. CraneMarkus BohrerPierre Sillard and Arnaud Brignon and Jean-Pierre Huignard

Introduction	p. xi
1 Improvement of high average power solid-state lasers: power and beam quality	p. 1
1.1 Introduction	p. 1
1.2 Some Fundamental Facts	p. 2
1.3 The Problem of High Output Power and Low Beam Parameter Product	p. 3
1.4 How to Reduce or Compensate for the Distortions	p. 4
1.4.1 Stable Resonators	p. 4
1.4.2 Influence of Birefringence on Beam Quality	p. 7
1.4.3 Unstable REsonators	p. 14
1.4.4 Phase Conjugation	p. 17
1.4.5 Adaptive Optics	p. 17
1.4.6 Hard and Soft Apertures	p. 18
1.4.7 Slabs and Disks	p. 18
1.4.8 Multicavity and Multipath Systems	p. 20
1.5 Conclusions	p. 22
2 Solid-State Laser Resonators with Diffractive Optic Thermal Aberration Correction	p. 27
2.1 Introduction	p. 27
2.2 Diffractive Resonators	p. 28
2.2.1 Cavity Design with Phase Conjugate End Mirror	p. 28
2.2.2 Effects of Diffractive Element Location	p. 31
2.2.3 Effect of Aberration Shape	p. 36
2.3 Experiment	p. 38
2.3.1 Experimental Arrangement	p. 38
2.3.2 Aberration Measurements	p. 39
2.3.3 Calculation of Corrector Plate Phase	p. 40
2.3.4 Experimental Results	p. 41
2.4 Virtual Aperture Effect	p. 41
2.5 Summary	p. 45
3 Intracavity Laser Beam Control and Formation	p. 47
3.1 Introduction	p. 47
3.2 Active Mirrors for Laser Beam Control	p. 48
3.2.1 Bimorph Active Correctors	p. 48
3.2.2 Bimorph Mirror with a Ring of Piezoceramics	p. 52
3.2.3 Water-Cooled Bimorph Corrector	p. 54
3.3 Control of the High-Power CO2 Laser Beam	p. 55
3.3.1 Receiving the Q-Switch Regime of a CO2 Laser	p. 55
3.3.2 Super-Gaussian Laser Intensity Output Formation by Means of Adaptive Optics	p. 59
3.4 CW Technological Rod YAG-Nd 3 C Laser with the Intracavity-Active Bimorph Mirror	p. 64
3.4.1 Correction of an Active-Element Thermal Lens by a Deformable Mirror	p. 64
3.4.2 Laser Cavity with Large-Aperture Flexible Mirror	p. 66
3.4.3 Control of the Parameters of CW Solid-State Laser Radiation using the Methods of Adaptive Optics	p. 70
3.5 Intracavity Copper Vapor Laser Beam Correction	p. 73
3.6 Control of the Output Beam of the Excimer Laser	p. 75
3.7 Conclusion	p. 77
4 Design and Applications of Aspherical Laser Resonators	p. 81
4.1 Introduction	p. 81
4.1.1 General	p. 81
4.1.2 High-Power CO2 Lasers for Processing Materials	p. 81
4.1.3 Resonator Concepts for High-Power CO2 Lasers	p. 82
4.2 Design of Aspherical Resonators	p. 84
4.2.1 Method of Conjugated Phase	p. 84
4.2.2 Design of Aspherical Resonators for an Industrial 20-kW CO2 Laser	p. 84
4.3 Experimental Results	p. 88
4.3.1 Setup for Beam Profile and Efficiency Measurements	p. 88
4.3.2 General Results	p. 88
4.3.3 Beam Profiles and Beam Quality at Different Input Power Levels	p. 89
4.3.4 Beam Propagation of Aspherical Resonators and Comparison with Conventional Resonators	p. 90
4.3.5 Normalized Peak Power Density	p. 92
4.4 Welding of Mild Steel	p. 93
4.5 Summary and Outlook	p. 94
5 High-Brightness Solid-State Laser Systems with Phase-Conjugating Mirrors	p. 97
5.1 Introduction	p. 97
5.2 Phase Conjugation by Stimulated Brillouin Scattering	p. 98
5.3 Amplifier Arrangements	p. 100
5.4 Nd-YALO as Active Laser Medium	p. 102
5.5 Master Oscillator	p. 103
5.6 Serial Amplifier Arrangement	p. 106
5.6.1 Design Rules	p. 107
5.6.2 Performance	p. 109
5.7 MOPA System with Fiber PCM	p. 111
5.8 500-WAverage Output Power MOPA System	p. 114
5.8.1 Average Output Power	p. 115
5.8.2 Long Term Stability	p. 116
5.8.3 Beam Quality	p. 117
5.9 Conclusion and Outlook	p. 120
6 Optical Cavity for High-Power Fiber Lasers	p. 125
6.1 Introduction	p. 125
6.2 Basic Equation of Laser Oscillators	p. 126
6.3 Analysis of Optical Cavities for Solid-State Lasers	p. 127
6.4 Scaling Physics of Solid-State Lasers for Gravitational Wave Detection and Fiber Lasers	p. 131
6.5 Future Image of High-Power Fiber Lasers	p. 132
6.6 Output Performance of Rectangular Double-Clad Fiber Lasers	p. 133
6.7 Solar Pumping Without Any Concentrator	p. 137
6.8 Side Pumping of Fiber-Embedded Disks using LD Arrays	p. 139
6.9 Stacked Disk and Tube System for Laser Power Plants	p. 141
6.10 Summary	p. 142
7 Collimation of Stacked Laser Diode Arrays for Illumination in ATV Systems	p. 145
7.1 Introduction	p. 145
7.2 Active Television Systems	p. 148
7.2.1 Basic Components of an ATV System	p. 148
7.2.2 Range-Gated Operation	p. 150
7.3 Stacked Laser Diode Arrays for Use in Light Illuminators	p. 152
7.3.1 Basic Geometry of a Laser Diode Bar	p. 152
7.3.2 Gain Medium	p. 153
7.3.3 Optical Waveguiding Characteristics of Laser Diode Emitters	p. 154
7.3.4 Two-Dimensional Stacks of Laser Diode Bars	p. 156
7.4 Practical Collimation Schemes for Stacked Laser Diode Arrays	p. 158
7.4.1 Basic Principles and Challenges	p. 158
7.4.2 Collimation of the Output Beam Along the Fast (y) Axis	p. 165
7.4.3 Collimation of the Output Beam Along the Slow (x) Axis	p. 170
7.5 Imaging Performances of Some ATV Systems	p. 172
7.5.1 LDA-1 Demonstration ATV System	p. 172
7.5.2 Imaging Performance	p. 175
7.6 Concluding Remarks	p. 181
8 Coherent Diode Laser Arrays	p. 185
8.1 Introduction	p. 185
8.2 MOPA Arrays	p. 188
8.3 Coupled Resonators	p. 191
8.4 External Cavities	p. 193
8.5 Architectures Using Nonlinear Optical Effects	p. 195
8.6 Surface-Emitting Lasers	p. 197
8.7 Summary	p. 200
9 High-Gain, Nd:Glass Preamplifier for MJ/TW Class Fusion Laser Systems	p. 203
9.1 Introduction	p. 203
9.2 Laser System Description	p. 206
9.2.1 Regenerative Amplifier	p. 206
9.2.2 Diode-Pumped Rod Amplifiers	p. 209
9.3 Performance Measurements	p. 210
9.3.1 Diode Array Characterization	p. 210
9.3.2 Diode-Pumped Rod Amplifier Characterization	p. 215
9.3.3 Regenerative Amplifier Performance Measurements	p. 222
9.3.4 Sources of Noise in the Regenerative Amplifier	p. 233
9.4 Conclusion	p. 235
10 High-Power Coaxial CO2 Laser	p. 239
10.1 Introduction	p. 239
10.2 The Coaxial Laser First Ideas	p. 239
10.3 Optical Calculation of the Resonator	p. 240
10.3.1 Introduction	p. 240
10.3.2 Iterative Calculation of the Mode Structure	p. 242
10.3.3 Mirror Characteristics	p. 245
10.3.4 Characteristics of the Active Medium	p. 245
10.3.5 Beam Propagation	p. 246
10.4 Calculation of Gas Flow	p. 247
10.5 Setup of a High-Power Laser Device	p. 252
10.5.1 Mechanical Construction	p. 252
10.5.2 Solution for the Beam Path	p. 254
10.6 Experiments	p. 256
10.6.1 Coaxial Discharge	p. 257
10.6.2 Gain Measurements	p. 258
10.6.3 Mode	p. 258
10.7 Sample Applications	p. 260
10.7.1 One of the First High-Power Coaxial Lasers	p. 260
10.7.2 Welding with the Coaxial Laser	p. 260
10.7.3 Closed-Loop Regulation	p. 262
10.8 Conclusion	p. 264
11 Solid-State Laser Resonators with Self-Pumped Phase Conjugation in the Gain Medium	p. 267
11.1 Introduction	p. 267
11.2 Resonators with Self-Pumped Phase Conjugation in a Flash-Lamp-Pumped Amplifier	p. 268
11.2.1 Principles	p. 268
11.2.2 Model	p. 270
11.2.3 Theoretical Results	p. 275
11.2.4 Experimental Results	p. 278
11.2.5 Polarization Properties	p. 281
11.3 Resonators with Self-Pumped Phase Conjugation in a Diode-Pumped Amplifier	p. 285
11.3.1 Experimental Setup	p. 285
11.3.2 Theoretical Results	p. 286
11.3.3 Experimental Results	p. 287
11.4 Summary and Conclusions	p. 291
Contributors	p. 295

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