Axial walk off multi-pass amplifiers
AssigneeApplied Energetics, Inc.
InventorsPaul B. Lundquist, Samvel Sarkisyan, Eric A. Wilson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The various laser architectures described herein provide increased gain of optical energy as well as compensation of optical phase distortions in a thin disk gain medium. An optical amplifier presented herein provides for scalable high energy extraction and gains based on a number of passes of the signal beam through a gain medium. Multiple, spatially separate, optical paths may also be passed through the same gain region to provide gain clearing by splitting off a small percentage of an output pulse and sending it back through the amplifier along a slightly different path. By clearing out the residual gain, uniform signal amplitudes can be obtained.
Claims53
An optical amplifier, including:
- first and second parabolic reflectors;
- a first reflective element in optical communication with the first parabolic reflector;
- and
- a gain module in optical communication with the second parabolic reflector,
- wherein the gain module has a gain medium and a second reflective element optically coupled to the gain medium,
- wherein the second parabolic reflector is operable to reflect optical energy to the gain module from different locations on the second parabolic reflector to impart gain on the optical energy,
- wherein the second parabolic reflector is further operable to reflect the optical energy to the first parabolic reflector from different locations on the second parabolic reflector, and wherein the first and second parabolic reflectors have a common optical axis.
An optical system, including:
- first and second parabolic reflectors;
- a first reflective element in optical communication with the first parabolic reflector;
- and
- a second reflective element in optical communication with the second parabolic reflector,
- wherein the first parabolic reflector is operable to reflect optical energy to the first reflective element from different locations on the first parabolic reflector,
- wherein the first parabolic reflector is further operable to reflect the optical energy to the second parabolic reflector from different locations on the first parabolic reflector,
- wherein the second parabolic reflector is operable to reflect the optical energy to the second reflective element from different locations on the second parabolic reflector,
- wherein the second parabolic reflector is further operable to reflect the optical energy to the first parabolic reflector from different locations on the second parabolic reflector, and
- wherein the first and second parabolic reflectors have a common optical axis.
An optical amplifier, including:
- a parabolic reflector;
- a first reflective element in optical communication with the parabolic reflector;
- and
- a gain module in optical communication with the parabolic reflector,
- wherein the gain module has a gain medium and a second reflective element optically coupled to the gain medium, and
- wherein the parabolic reflector is operable to reflect optical energy to the gain module from different locations on the parabolic reflector to impart gain on the optical energy.
A method, including:
- propagating optical energy into a multipass amplifier, wherein the multipass amplifier includes first and second parabolic reflectors having a common optical axis;
- while in the multipass amplifer, directing the optical energy via the first and second parabolic reflectors to a thin disk gain medium and a reflective element to increase optical gain in the optical energy;
- and
- ejecting the optical energy from the multipass amplifier.
An optical amplifier, including:
- first and second parabolic reflectors;
- a first reflective element in optical communication with the first parabolic reflector;
- and
- a gain module in optical communication with the second parabolic reflector,
- wherein the gain module has a gain medium and a second reflective element optically coupled to the gain medium,
- wherein the first and second parabolic reflectors have a common optical axis and are operable to controllably reflect optical energy from different locations to the gain medium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.