Phase shift of stepwise reflectivity profile mirrors.

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Laser Physics
• Beam Propagation

Background:

• Output couplers are critical components in laser cavities.
• Stepwise reflectivity profiles can introduce phase distortions.
• Understanding these distortions is key to controlling laser beam characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally investigate the impact of phase shifts from stepwise reflectivity output couplers on laser beam properties.
• To determine how phase distortions affect beam propagation, energy, and pulse width.
• To analyze the behavior of a XeCl laser system under these conditions.

Main Methods:

• Experimental setup utilizing a XeCl laser.
• Transmission of laser beams through output couplers with a stepwise reflectivity profile.
• Measurement and analysis of phase shifts and their effects on beam propagation, energy, and pulse width.

Main Results:

• Phase distortions introduced by the output coupler significantly influence the propagation characteristics of the laser beam.
• The output beam energy remains unaffected by the phase distortions.
• The pulse width of the output laser beam is not affected by the phase distortions.

Conclusions:

• Phase distortions in output couplers with stepwise reflectivity profiles primarily affect beam propagation.
• Laser beam energy and pulse width are robust against these specific phase distortions.
• This research provides insights into controlling laser beam quality and performance.