Unstable ring resonator with a compact output beam: description and experimental evaluation

A novel type of unstable resonator is described, and its operation with a CO(2) laser is discussed. The laser mode is rectangular in cross section, and the field is inverted about a line that makes a 45 degrees angle with the edge of the beam during a round-trip pass. Beam inversion, low magnification, and reasonably low sensitivity to misalignment allow efficient power extraction from low-gain lasing media while also outcoupling a solid rectangular beam. A beam quality of 1.1 was observed. The beam quality varied from 1.1 to 1.6 during misalignment of the rear rooftop mirror by ~0.06 mrad. A further misalignment of ~0.03 mrad stopped the lasing.