Regenerative ring-laser design by use of an intracavity diffractive mode-selecting element

Area of Science:

• Laser physics
• Optical resonator design
• Diffractive optics

Background:

• Fabry-Pérot resonators with diffractive mirrors are commonly used for mode selection.
• Limitations exist in current resonator designs for achieving specific beam profiles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the first application of diffractive phase elements for transverse mode selection in laser ring resonators.
• To present a novel regenerative ring resonator design.
• To demonstrate the advantages of this resonator type over Fabry-Pérot resonators.

Main Methods:

• Design of a regenerative ring resonator utilizing diffractive phase elements.
• Numerical simulations including gain saturation modeling.
• Experimental testing for continuous wave (cw) and pulsed operations.

Main Results:

• The proposed diffractive phase element resonator offers advantages over Fabry-Pérot resonators.
• A regenerative ring resonator design producing an eighth-order super-Gaussian intensity profile beam was successfully developed.
• Performance was validated through simulations and experimental tests for both cw and pulsed laser operations.

Conclusions:

• Diffractive phase elements are effective for transverse mode selection in laser ring resonators.
• The developed regenerative ring resonator is a viable approach for generating high-order super-Gaussian beams.
• This method provides a promising alternative for laser resonator design and beam shaping.