KEYWORDS: Resonators, Laser resonators, High power lasers, Mirrors, Optical alignment, Near field optics, Space operations, Beam propagation method, Telescopes, Beam expanders
The paper discusses the design features of four low-power laser (LPL) concepts (the external LPL concept, the annular LPL, the compact beam LPL, and the rear cone LPL) for use in the alignment of a high-power laser (HPL) for space applications and describes a specific high-power ring resonator, the High Extraction Decentered Annular Ring Resonator. Particular attention is given to the comparison of the four LPL concepts. It is concluded that the external LPL is not desirable due to the added alignment steps required to boresight the LPL to the HPL optical axis and that the annular LPL has an unacceptably large threshold gain for gain generator areas less than 3000 sq cm. While the compact beam LPL concept was found to be the most flow efficient, the rear cone LPL was found to maximize the gain area and thus the output power for the 60-cm maximum gain length determined by the spacecraft envelope requirements.
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