Compound laser system for high power densities

A compound laser system according to claim. 1, wherein said means of delivering said output is a delivery subsystem comprising:

• an input side which is an optical waveguide whose cross-sectional core shape is a standard round shape or is contoured, generally having a lens between said output of said combiner subsystem and said delivery subsystem input side;
• an output side;
• and
• if said output of said combiner subsystem is not circularly symmetrical said delivery subsystem input side having a specially-shaped end whereby emissions divergence from said combiner subsystem output is equalized between said combiner subsystem output's major and minor axes.

A compound laser system comprising:

• at least two active elements selected from a group consisting of lasers and amplifiers, which enhance power of an optical beam from each active element, and have at least one means of internal optical feedback for each active element;
• active elements are selected to be optical parametric amplifiers which are based on frequency conversion in a nonlinear medium pumped with an external source;
• said means of internal optical feedback is selected from a group consisting of at least one mirror, a Bragg reflector inside of said nonlinear medium of said optical amplifier, a Bragg reflector at a surface of said nonlinear medium of said optical amplifiers, means for coupling between signal and idler waves in said nonlinear medium where said optical parametric amplifiers have a counterpropagating wave configuration;
• said active elements having means of optical connection of said optical beams to a phase-coherent combiner;
• said phase-coherent combiner constructively superimposing said optical beams to add their intensities, essentially preserving their initial brightness;
• and
• said phase-coherent combiner having a means of external optical feedback for all said active elements.

A compound laser system comprising:

• at least two active elements selected from a group consisting of lasers and amplifiers, which enhance power of an optical beam from each active element, and have at least one means of internal optical feedback for each active element;
• said group of lasers and amplifiers including optical parametric amplifiers, semiconductor lasers, integrated optical micro-lasers, integrated optical micro-amplifiers, optical fiber lasers, optical fiber amplifiers and diode, and diode laser arrays;
• said active elements having means of optical connection of said optical beams to a phase-coherent combiner;
• said phase-coherent combiner constructively superimposing said optical beams to add their intensities, essentially preserving their initial brightness;
• said phase-coherent combiner having a means of external optical feedback for all said active elements;
• said means of optical connection and said phase-coherent combiner are integrated optical waveguides fabricated on a common substrate;
• and
• said means of external feedback is a Bragg reflector at the output side of said phase-coherent combiner.

A compound laser system comprising:

• at least two active elements selected from a group consisting of lasers and amplifiers, which enhance power of an optical beam from each active element, and have at least one means of internal optical feedback for each active element;
• said group of lasers and amplifiers including optical parametric amplifiers, semiconductor lasers, integrated optical micro-lasers, integrated optical micro-amplifiers, optical fiber lasers, optical fiber amplifiers and diode, and diode laser arrays;
• said active elements having means of optical connection of said optical beams to a phase-coherent combiner;
• said phase-coherent combiner constructively superimposing said optical beams to add their intensities, essentially preserving their initial brightness;
• said phase-coherent combiner having a means of external optical feedback for all said active elements;
• said means of optical connection are optical fibers;
• said phase-coherent combiner being a cascaded Y-junctions made from optical fibers and having a single output;
• and
• said means of external feedback includes a mirror or Bragg reflector at said output of said cascaded fiber Y-junctions.

A compound laser system comprising:

• at least two active elements selected from a group consisting of lasers and amplifiers, which enhance power of an optical beam from each active element, and have at least one means of internal optical feedback for each active element;
• said active elements are selected to be a diode laser array;
• said means of internal feedback being mirrors of each individual laser of said diode laser array;
• said active elements having means of optical connection of said optical beams to a phase-coherent combiner;
• said phase-coherent combiner constructively superimposing said optical beams to add their intensities, essentially preserving their initial brightness;
• said means of optical connection being optical fibers having a rectangular input cross section of their core;
• said phase-coherent optical combiner being a cascaded Y-junction of said optical fibers;
• said Y-junction being optically connected to an output fiber of round cross section;
• and
• said phase-coherent combiner having a means of external optical feedback for all said active elements.