Generation of tunable high-order vortex beams from a Hermite-Gaussian thin-disk laser

Area of Science:

• Laser Physics
• Optics
• Materials Science

Background:

• High-order structured light generation is crucial for advanced optical applications.
• Thin-disk laser technology offers potential for high-power, efficient laser systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the generation of high-order, high-power vortex modes from a Hermite-Gaussian (HG) Yb:YAG thin-disk oscillator.
• To achieve tunable mode orders and high output power for these structured light modes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a Yb:YAG thin-disk oscillator to generate Hermite-Gaussian (HG) modes.
• Manipulated intracavity resonance conditions by adjusting output coupler angle and position for mode tunability.
• Employed a cylindrical-lens mode converter to transform HG modes into Laguerre-Gaussian vortex modes.
• Characterized vortex beam properties using Mach-Zehnder interferometry and phase retrieval algorithms.

Main Results:

• Successfully generated high-order HG and vortex modes with tunable orders from 1 to 10.
• Achieved output power up to 10 W for most generated modes, a new benchmark for intracavity high-order HG mode generation.
• Demonstrated continuous tunability of mode orders experimentally and through simulations.

Conclusions:

• Significant progress in generating high-order structured light with extended tunable range and high-power operation in thin-disk laser systems.
• The developed method provides new opportunities for applications in light-matter interaction, remote sensing, and optical manufacturing.
• This work establishes a new benchmark for high-order Hermite-Gaussian mode generation within thin-disk laser modules.