Device and passive method for the coherent combination of two amplified and/or spectrally broadened optical beams

A method for the passive coherent combination of two amplified and/or spectrally broadened optical beams, said method comprising the following steps:

• coupling an incident optical beam (S0) to an amplitude-division ring interferometer, said interferometer comprising optical splitting and recombining means (3, 31, 32, 33) and at least one bidirectional optical component (A1, A2) arranged on the optical path of said ring interferometer, said at least one optical component (A1, A2) being adapted to amplify and/or spectrally broaden on the one hand a secondary optical beam propagating in a clockwise direction in the interferometer and on the other hand a secondary optical beam propagating in a counterclockwise direction in the interferometer;
• spatially amplitude-splitting the incident optical beam (S0) by said optical splitting and recombining means (3, 31, 32, 33) into a first secondary input beam (H1) and a second secondary input beam (H2);
• optically guiding said first secondary input beam (H1) so that it travels through the ring interferometer in a clockwise direction and so that said first secondary input beam (H1) is amplified and/or spectrally broadened by said at least one optical component (A1, A2) to form a first secondary output beam (H″1) directed toward said optical splitting and recombining means (3, 31, 32, 33);
• optically guiding said second secondary input beam (H2) so that it travels through the ring interferometer in a counterclockwise direction and so that said second secondary input beam (H2) is amplified and/or spectrally broadened by said at least one optical component (A1, A2) to form a second secondary output beam (H″2) directed toward said optical splitting and recombining means (3, 31, 32, 33);
• coherently spatially recombining the first secondary output beam (H″1) and the second secondary output beam (H″2) by said optical splitting and recombining means (3, 31, 32, 33) to form an amplified and/or spectrally broadened output coherent beam (H1, S2, S3).