Adaptive Resonator Control Techniques For High-Power Lasers

R. H. Freeman; J. M. Spinhirne; D. Anafi

doi:10.1117/12.931749

15 September 1981 Adaptive Resonator Control Techniques For High-Power Lasers

R. H. Freeman, J. M. Spinhirne, D. Anafi

Proceedings Volume 0270, High Power Lasers and Applications; (1981) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.931749
Event: 1981 Los Angeles Technical Symposium, 1980, Los Angeles, United States

Abstract

An essential requirement of high-energy laser resonator configurations is the capability of efficiently extracting power in a near-diffraction limited beam. Mode discrimination as well as optical beam quality are often compromised as a result of temporarily varying refractive index perturbations within the gain medium, optical cavity misalignment, mirror figure errors resulting from manufacturing tolerances, and thermally induced mirror distortions. Various design approaches have emerged in recent years to optimize the far-field irradiance by utilizing different resonator concepts for the purpose of obtaining the best mode control and near-field beam quality. The different concepts utilize annular and compacted gain mediums, spatial filtering techniques, novel optical components and adaptive optics. This paper will describe recent results using intracavity adaptive optical techniques versus extracavity adaptive optical techniques. Experimental results will be provided which show the correction capability for controlled low order aberrations (tilt and astigmatism) commonly found in high energy lasers. A comparison of two optimization control techniques using a multidither zonal COAT system will be discussed describing the effects of hardware limitations and considerations on the performance of the system.

Citation Download Citation

R. H. Freeman, J. M. Spinhirne, and D. Anafi "Adaptive Resonator Control Techniques For High-Power Lasers", Proc. SPIE 0270, High Power Lasers and Applications, (15 September 1981); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.931749

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available