Variation of thermal lens curvature type between the convex and the concave lens for zigzag slab laser

Xing Fu; Qiang Liu; Mali Gong

doi:10.1117/12.981709

29 November 2012 Variation of thermal lens curvature type between the convex and the concave lens for zigzag slab laser

Xing Fu, Qiang Liu, Mali Gong

Proceedings Volume 8551, High-Power Lasers and Applications VI; 855105 (2012) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.981709
Event: Photonics Asia, 2012, Beijing, China

Abstract

We investigate the thermal lensing along the direction of heat removal in a zigzag slab laser by numerically computing its temperature distribution, the OPD profile and the focal length of the thermal lens. Particular attention is paid to the dependence of the curvature type of the thermal lens on the number of bounces. As the number of bounces increases consecutively, the curvature type of the thermal lens in the slab thickness direction oscillates between the concave lens and the convex one, but not in an alternate manner. The reason is disclosed that for the convex lens case, the average temperature along the route, through which the ray on the edge of the main lobe aperture travels, is much lower than that at the center. The formation of the concave lens can be well explained in a similar way. In addition, we conclude that the beamlet with a larger number of bounces experiences weaker thermal lensing but more serious wavefront deformation due to the large side lobe portion in the curve of optical path difference. The analysis and the discussion provide a good reference for the design of slab parameters and the selection of the number of bounces. Furthermore, multiple zigzag slabs with different curvature types of thermal lenses can be placed in a cavity or lined up as a multi-stage amplifier, which may compensate the thermal lensing and the wavefront deformation, thus improving the beam quality.

Citation Download Citation

Xing Fu, Qiang Liu, and Mali Gong "Variation of thermal lens curvature type between the convex and the concave lens for zigzag slab laser", Proc. SPIE 8551, High-Power Lasers and Applications VI, 855105 (29 November 2012); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.981709

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available