US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Geraldine H Daunt

Suresh Chandra

Richard A Utano

Michael J Ferry

A high brightness optical parametric amplifier array uses energy--scaleable optical parametric amplifiers that provide high brightness output. The leability in energy is achieved by using an array of parallel crystal amplifiers to handle high laser energies. High brightness is obtained by using an optical phase conjugator to keep the phase front of the array coherent.

High brightness optical parametric amplifier array

A laser oscillator system which transmits laser input beam pulses through optical diode and into a plurality of time-multiplexed phase conjugate amplifier which sequentially amplify in chronological order subsequent input beam pulses. The optical diode is positioned on the oscillator laser beam pulse axis and is comprised of a polarizer, a half-wave plate which rotates the pulse polarity by 45.degree. in one direction and a Faraday rotator which rotates the pulse polarity 45.degree. in the opposite direction. A plurality of grouped Pockels cells and polarizers are positioned on the oscillator axis past the Faraday rotator. The polarizers route the input beam pulse toward a phase conjugate amplifier when a half-wave voltage is applied to the Pockels cell. Each phase conjugate amplifier has a phase conjugate mirror, at its output for retroreflecting the once amplified input laser beam pulse back therethrough for a second amplification. The twice amplified laser beam pulse is returned back to and reflected off the beam splitter back through the Pockels cell. The pockels cell rotates the pusle back to its orignial polarity as the pulse returns to the optical diode. Teh faraday rotator rotates the pulse 45.degree. and the half-wave plate rotates the pulse another 45.degree. for a total of 90.degree.. The 90.degree. rotated amplified output pulses from the time multiplexed amplifiers are reflected off the polarizer and out the laser system.

Gatling gun laser pulse amplifier using an optical diode

A laser oscillator system which transmits laser input beam pulses through a olarizer onto the surface of a rotating mirror which routes the laser beam pulses sequentially into a plurality of stationary phase conjugate amplifiers. The pulse repetition frequency of the oscillator input beam pulses is much higher than any one of the amplifiers can handle without overheating. The amplifiers are positioned in a circle around the laser oscillator axis. The polarizer and rotating mirror are positioned on the oscillator axis. The mirror is synchronized with the input beam pulses so that each subsequent input beam pulse enters the next amplifier in sequence. Each phase conjugate amplifier has associated therewith a quarter-wave plate and a phase conjugate mirror at its output. The phase conjugate mirror is preferably comprised of a focusing lens and a stimulated Brillouin scattering cell. The cell retroreflects the once amplified beam pulse back through the quarter-wave plate, which has now rotated the beam pulse polarization through 90.degree.. Each pulse is amplified a second time and is reflected off the mirror and the back of the polarizer and out of the laser system. The laser system makes possible the handling of a large pulse repetition frequency of amplified output laser beam pulses.

Gatling gun laser pulse amplifier using rotating mirrors

A double conjugate laser beam amplifier which twice conjugates the laser ut beam and provides an output beam in exactly the same direction and of the same polarization as the input beam while retaining the alignment stability of singly conjugated amplifiers even when the thin film polarizer between two conjugate amplifiers is not stable. A half-wave voltage at a Pockels cell positioned on the beam axis immediately prior to the polarizer controls whether the oscillator beam is transmitted through the polarizer or is reflected off the polarizer toward a first conjugate amplifier for amplification and retroflection back through the first conjugate amplifier and the polarizer into a second conjugate amplifier for further amplification and retroreflection back and is reflected off the polarizer a second time. The double conjugate amplifiers may be cascaded to both increase output and laser beam pulse repetition rate.

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Arlington, VA, United States of America

Geraldine H Daunt