Mode-matching a plurality of optical beams to a corresponding plurality of optical power amplifiers

A system for optical mode matching a plurality of optical beams to a corresponding plurality of optical power amplifiers, the system including:

• a laser configured to generate a laser beam;
• mode-matching optics configured to receive the laser beam generated by the laser and to generate a mode-matched optical beam therefrom;
• a plurality of beam splitters configured to split the mode-matched optical beam into a plurality of beam-split portions,
• wherein each of the plurality of beam splitters includes:
• first and second right-triangular isosceles prisms sandwiching a beam-splitting layer between hypotenuse faces of the first and second right-triangular isosceles prisms,
• wherein each of the plurality of beam-split portions of the mode-matched optical beams has an amplitude that is substantially equal in amplitude with others of the plurality of beam-split portions of the mode-matched optical beams;
• and
• a plurality of optical power amplifiers, each configured to receive and amplify a corresponding one of the plurality of beam-split portions of the mode-matched optical beam, optical path lengths between the mode-matching optics and the plurality of optical power amplifiers being substantially equal to one another thereby enabling optical mode matching of the mode-matched optical beam to each of the plurality of optical power amplifiers.

A method for optical mode matching a plurality of optical beams to a corresponding plurality of optical power amplifiers, the system including:

• generating, via a laser, a laser beam;
• generating, via mode-matching optics, a mode-matched optical beam from the laser beam;
• splitting, via a plurality of beam splitters, the mode-matched optical beam into a plurality of beam-split portions,
• wherein splitting the mode-matched optical beam includes:
• splitting, via first, second, and third beam splitters, the mode-matched optical beam into first, second, third, and fourth beam-split portions,
• wherein splitting the mode-matched optical beam into a plurality of beam-split portions is done in such manner as to make amplitudes of the plurality of beam-split portions substantially equal to one another,
• wherein splitting the mode-matched optical beam includes:
• splitting, via a first beam splitter, the mode-matched optical beam into first and second intermediate beams that are substantially equal in amplitude with one another;
• splitting, via a second optical splitter, the first intermediate beam into the first and second beam-split portions that are substantially equal in amplitude with one another;
• and
• splitting, via a third optical splitter, the second intermediate beam into the third and fourth beam-split portions that are substantially equal in amplitude with one another;
• guiding, via first and second beam-guide prisms, the first and second intermediate beams from the first beam splitter to the second and third beam splitters respectively;
• amplifying, via each of a plurality of optical power amplifiers, a corresponding one of the plurality of beam-split portions of the mode-matched optical beam;
• and
• configuring the plurality of splitters and the plurality of optical power amplifiers so as to make substantially equal to one another optical path lengths between the mode-matching optics and the plurality of optical power amplifiers, thereby enabling optical mode matching of the mode-matched optical beam to each of the plurality of optical power amplifiers.