Paper
26 April 2007 Intracavity phase element improves laser mode stability
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Proceedings Volume 6346, XVI International Symposium on Gas Flow, Chemical Lasers, and High-Power Lasers; 63462Z (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.739316
Event: XVI International Symposium on Gas Flow, Chemical Lasers, and High-Power Lasers, 2006, Gmunden, Austria
Abstract
We demonstrate an approach for stabilizing the transverse mode structure in cases where there is strong coupling between the longitudinal and the transverse modes. In this approach, an intracavity phase element that discriminates and selects a specific transverse mode is inserted into the laser resonator. We show that the discrimination can be so strong that the selection of the single transverse mode remains stable despite changes of the resonator length. We calculated the ratio of the small-signal gain and the gain threshold value for the fundamental and (1,0) Hermite-Gaussian modes, as function of a tiny change &Dgr;z of the resonator length, with and without the phase element. Without the phase element, the tiny change of the axial coordinate z of one of the mirrors of CO2 laser leads to periodical change of different transverse modes. Introducing intracavity phase element preserves a single transverse mode, which is kept practically unchanged with the change of the axial coordinate z, except for a slight periodical change of the output power and the beam quality, due to the periodicity of the resonance conditions.
© (2007) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
G. Machavariani, N. Davidson, A. A. Ishaaya, and A. A. Friesem "Intracavity phase element improves laser mode stability", Proc. SPIE 6346, XVI International Symposium on Gas Flow, Chemical Lasers, and High-Power Lasers, 63462Z (26 April 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.739316
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KEYWORDS
Resonators

Laser resonators

Gas lasers

Mirrors

Near field

Modes of laser operation

Carbon monoxide

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