摘要:
A high-energy optical beam generator providing a desired output waveform. The generator includes a master oscillator (10), such as a mode-locked laser (40), to generate an input beam, a first dispersive element (14) to decompose the input beam into frequency components, a set of phase and amplitude modulators (16) to modulate the frequency components individually, a set of power amplifiers (18) to amplify the frequency components individually, and a second dispersive element (20) to recombine the amplified and modulated frequency components into a single output beam (22). Phase control electronics (60) control the modulators (16) to provide the desired waveform for the output beam (22), based on its intended application and on sensed characteristics of the input beam and the output beam.
摘要:
A laser array architecture scalable to very high powers by closely stacking fiber amplifiers, but in which the output wavelength is selectable to be in the visible or ultraviolet region, without being restricted by the wavelengths usually inherent in the choice of fiber materials. A pump signal at a fundamental frequency is amplified in the fiber amplifier array and input to an array of nonlinear crystals that function as harmonic generators, producing an output array at a desired harmonic of the fundamental frequency. A phase detection and correction system maintains the array of outputs in phase coherency, resulting in a high power output with high beam quality, at the desired frequency. The array of nonlinear crystals may a single array to produce a second harmonic output frequency, or a combination of multiple cascaded arrays configured to produce a selected higher order harmonic frequency.
摘要:
A flow field seeded with small particles is illuminated by collimated, monochromatic laser light sheet (16). Doppler shifted scattering from particle motion is imaged by an optical system (22). An optical frequency-to-intensity converter (24) is located at the image plane such that the transmitted image contains a simultaneous two-dimensional measurement of flow velocity along a direction determined by a laser beam and observer (converter) direction. These images can be observed directly or through a TV-2-D array camera and monitor or processed through a computer system (28).
摘要:
Encircled far field energy is substantially increased by modifying the near field energy distribution of radiation from each fiber in an emitting array. Each beamlet output from a fiber is modified to have a generally uniform cross-sectional energy distribution, using a pair of aspheric optical elements selected for that purpose. The optical elements may be refractive or reflective. The modified beamlets combine to form a composite output beam with a generally uniform energy distribution. Preferably, the composite beam is subject to an array-wide inverse transformation to a near-Gaussian distribution, further enhancing the encircled far field energy and providing a more efficient high power laser source. Further gains in efficiency are achieved by selecting a fiber bundle pattern, lens array pattern and lens shape that together result in a high fill factor.
摘要:
A hybrid laser source including a solid state laser driven by an array of fiber laser amplifiers, the inputs of which are controllable in phase and polarization, to compensate for distortions that arise in the solid state laser, or to achieve desired output beam properties relating to direction or focus. The output beam is sampled and compared with a reference beam to obtain phase and polarization difference signals across the output beam cross section, at spatial positions corresponding with the positions of the fiber laser amplifiers providing input to the solid state laser. Therefore, phase and polarization properties of the output beam may be independently controlled by predistortion of these properties in the fiber laser amplifier inputs.
摘要:
A hybrid laser source including a solid state laser driven by an array of fiber laser amplifiers, the inputs of which are controllable in phase and polarization, to compensate for distortions that arise in the solid state laser, or to achieve desired output beam properties relating to direction or focus. The output beam is sampled and compared with a reference beam to obtain phase and polarization difference signals across the output beam cross section, at spatial positions corresponding with the positions of the fiber laser amplifiers providing input to the solid state laser. Therefore, phase and polarization properties of the output beam may be independently controlled by predistortion of these properties in the fiber laser amplifier inputs.
摘要:
A high-energy optical beam generator providing a desired output waveform. The generator includes a master oscillator (10), such as a mode-locked laser (40), to generate an input beam, a first dispersive element (14) to decompose the input beam into frequency components, a set of phase and amplitude modulators (16) to modulate the frequency components individually, a set of power amplifiers (18) to amplify the frequency components individually, and a second dispersive element (20) to recombine the amplified and modulated frequency components into a single output beam (22). Phase control electronics (60) control the modulators (16) to provide the desired waveform for the output beam (22), based on its intended application and on sensed characteristics of the input beam and the output beam.
摘要:
Briefly, the present invention relates to a system for combining the output light beams of a plurality of semiconductor laser diodes, for example, to form a combined light beam with increased brightness. The output light beams from the semiconductor laser diodes are coupled to a plurality of optical fibers forming a fiber coupled diode array. The optical fibers forming the fiber coupled diode array are coupled to a dual clad optical fiber with a central core. The output light beams from the optical fibers from the fiber coupled diode array are coupled to the inner cladding of a dual clad optical fiber. A Stokes seed source is applied to the central core, and the inner-clad diode light acts as a pump source to amplify the Stokes beam by stimulated Ramans scattering, thereby transferring power from the inner cladding into Stokes beam in the central core. The configuration in accordance with the present invention provides a Stokes output light beam with a relatively higher brightness level than known techniques which merely combine the output light beams from a plurality of semiconductor diodes and eliminates the need for a relatively precise alignment and the cost associated with the lenses required by known systems.