Alignment tolerances of self imaging configurations for passive coherent beam combining
Year: 2018
Authors: Lapucci A., Ciofini M.
Autors Affiliation: Istituto Nazionale di Ottica – Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Largo Enrico Fermi 6, 50125 Arcetri- Firenze -ITALY
Abstract: We study guided self-imaging schemes useful to obtain Passive Laser Resonators Coupling (PLRC) for Coherent
Beam Combining (CBC). Self-imaging schemes are well established methods for PLRC, but they are usually considered
limited by large values of edge diffractive losses. In facts the Talbot effect (exact diffractive self-imaging) is obtained with
infinite arrays only. This problem can be opposed by using a guided self-imaging that extends the finite array by means of
a kaleidoscopic effect. This can be done in 2D with square or hexagonal symmetry or generating an infinite 1D array by
winding up a linear array on a circle. In this case cyclic boundary conditions exactly produce an infinite array in the
azimuthal direction. We report on numerical simulations performed to assess the coupling efficiency with particular
attention to the alignment tolerance. Calculations are carried out with reference to a system of several fiber lasers. Our
results indicate this as a viable solution for fiber lasers CBC.
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Volume: 11042 Pages from: 110420O-1 to: 110420O-6
KeyWords: Coherent Laser Beam Combining, Talbot Self-Imaging, Diffractive Beam Couplers, Passive Phase Locking, Selforganized
Phase Locking.DOI: doi: 10.1117/12.2522108