Deutschetelekom Ag

US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Leonid Alexseevich Beresnev

Wolfgang Dultz

Heidrun Schmitzer

Chatt C Williamson

Wolfgang Haase

Gisela Dultz

Anthony R Valenzuela

Kristan Peter Gurton

Mikhail Alexseevich Vorontsov

Arkadii Onokhov

David A Ligon

Joachim Vobian

Werner Weiershausen

Erna Frins

Jony Jiang Liu

Gary W Carhart

Elena Anatolievna Konshina

Bernhard Hils

Franko Kueppers

Galina Patrusheva

Rosemarie Hild

Thomas Weyrauch

Sergei Pikin

Reinald Ries

Galina Patrusheve

Mark Dubinskiy

Angel S Flores

A method and apparatus for controlling propagation of a light beam using a beveled endcap of an optical fiber, where the endcap has a first end coupled to the optical fiber and a second end having a bevel that circumscribes a facet. The bevel has an angle relative to the plane of the facet that directs a peripheral portion of the light beam towards a lens and the facet directs a central portion of the light beam towards the lens. As such, the light beam is collimated with substantially all of the power of the light beam propagating through the lens and all the power delivered with fiber core to the output endcap is propagating through the lens despite the divergence of the delivered beam and a restricted aperture of the lens.

Fiber optic collimator with a beveled fiber endcap

A method, apparatus and system for coherent beam combining (CBC) in high energy fiber laser (HEL) systems include generating a reference interference pattern of a signal source including at least two single-mode optical signals, capturing and evaluating the reference interference pattern, maximizing an intensity of the selected area of the captured, reference interference pattern, increasing a linewidth of the optical signals generating the reference interference pattern until the reference interference pattern is degraded, and adjusting a delay time of one of the at least two single-mode optical signals until the reference interference pattern is recovered, by adjusting a value of a delay of a delayed RF signal with a broaden linewidth to a respective EO linewidth broadening modulator in at least one channel of the at least two single-mode optical signals while evaluating the interference pattern on a display device.

Systems, apparatuses and methods for coherent beam combining of fiber laser beams with broadened linewidth

A technique for delivery of a divergent laser beam emitted with a free-space laser fiber facet, the beam having an optical power, into an optical waveguide. An optical axis of the laser beam is aligned approximately along a propagation Z direction into the optical waveguide. The fiber facet is located in a first plane perpendicular to the Z direction. The waveguide includes an input, direction, and X-Y position of the input in a second plane. The waveguide includes fluctuations in a X-Y-Z position of the input and fluctuations in direction. The laser beam is transformed into a collimated beam by re-directing a propagation of the laser beam, shifting the laser beam parallel to the Z direction, and focusing the laser beam into the input. The speed of transformation of the laser beam is greater than an instant speed of the fluctuations. A maximum optical power is delivered into the waveguide.

Method and apparatus for delivering the fiber laser radiation into dynamical waveguide

An optics system includes at least one emitting fiber tip that transmits a divergent beam. The divergent beam includes a global maximum intensify of radiation centered with an output optical axis. The divergent beam includes central beams for collimating and periphery beams for disposing. The periphery beams include parasitic radiation of the divergent beam. The optics system includes at least one collimating lens having an output size, output shape, and output optical axis centered thereto and configured to redirect the central beams to a target and redirect the periphery beams into free-space; and at least one redirecting element positioned in between the at least one emitting fiber tip and the at least one collimating lens. The redirecting element includes a first area having an interior size and interior shape to transmit the central beams, and at least one second area outside of the first area to transmit the periphery beams.

Disposing aperture-truncated radiation of divergent beam in fiber optic collimators and arrays

An optical fiber positioner having an elongated base with sidewalls and a longitudinally extending throughbore. A flexible optical fiber extends through the throughbore and has one end protruding outwardly from an end surface of the base. A plurality of actuators are secured to the sidewalls of the base so that an end of each actuator is positioned adjacent the end of the base. A crossbeam is then connected to the ends of each actuator so that the crossbeam moves laterally relative to the base in unison with the deflection of the actuators. The crossbeam has an opening through which the optical fiber extends so that the optical fiber deflects in unison with the lateral movement of the crossbeam. Various fixtures for assembly of the optical fiber positioner are also shown.

Optical fiber positioner and method for manufacturing same

A method and apparatus for coherent beam combining in an array of laser beam collimators. The array of laser beam collimators includes an array of a plurality collimating lenses, each lens intercepting a respective one of a plurality of divergent laser beams. Each collimating lens is joined with adjacent collimating lenses such that an output aperture is formed with a common vertex of the adjacently joined collimating lenses. A concave mirror is positioned a distance from the common vertex for receiving a fraction of each of the collimated laser beams that passed through a portion of each of the collimating lenses that are adjacent to the common vertex, and then providing reflected fractional collimated laser beams. A sensor intercepts the reflected fractional collimated laser beams so as to provide a signal that is applied to synchronize the phase of each of the collimated laser beams.

Apparatus for coherent beam combining in an array of laser collimators

A method and apparatus for controlled displacement, rotation and deformation of parts of a fiber optic collimator so as to provide multiple degrees of adjustment freedom that are decoupled one from another, for adjusting the path of a light beam, comprising: an output elongate hollow node for passing a light beam therethrough and towards a lens, and an elongate hollow base node having separate top and bottom parts connected to each other by opposed ends of a plurality of flexible rods that restrict the relative movement between the top and bottom parts of the base node to substantially only translational parallel movement. Opposed portions of the top and bottom parts of the base node each include a respective screw and an opposed slanted surface, which upon interaction, develop a shearing force which is applied to the top and bottom parts of the base node and cause a translational parallel relative movement therebetween.

Light beam collimator particularly suitable for a densely packed array

A device for the positioning of fiber optic output including a base having a hole disposed at a midpoint thereof, a collar having an opening at a midpoint, a plurality of bimorph actuators, each actuator connected to an outer side surface of the base and located at opposite ends, a plurality of flexible beams, each having a first end connected to the collar and a second end connected to a bimorph actuator, a flexible tube inserted in the hole, where a bottom end of the tube is cantilevered at a bottom of the base and a top end of the tube is inserted in the opening of the collar, and a fiber optic embedded in the flexible tube.

Compact fiber optic positioner with wide frequency bandwidth

The invention includes a deformable mirror for use in adaptive and active optical systems and in optical technology laser communication directed energy systems. The invention utilizes pockets formed in the back of the mirrors substrate. The pockets house actuators that are bonded to the substrate and may adjustably deform the mirror surface depending on the voltage supplied to the actuators. A plurality of mirrors may be combined to form a scalable array or positioned to overcome issues related to the uncontrollable portions of separate individual mirrors.

Scalable size deformable pocket mirror with on-pocket bimorph actuator

A method and device for reducing the distortion of optical pulses caused by the polarization mode dispersion in optical communication systems is provided. When an optical pulse having any polarization is transmitted through an optical communication system, which is optically anisotropic, at least in sections, the optical pulse may become distorted due to the different velocities of the various polarization components. This distortion of the optical pulses may reduces the maximum transmission rate of the system. A method is provided for functioning in response to the detected transmission quality of the communication system where a polarization-controlling device for setting the polarization of the optical pulse is driven in such a way that the transmission quality is maximized. An optical communication system, including an optical transmission medium, involves a device for determining the transmission quality of the communication system, a regulating device, and a polarization-controlling device. The output signal from the device for determining the transmission quality of the communication system may be applied to the regulating device, which drives the polarization-controlling device to change the polarization of the optical pulses in such a way that the transmission quality is optimized.

Reducing the distortion of optical pulses caused by polarization mode dispersion in optical communication systems

A method and a device for reducing speckle formation on a projection display when working with a coherent light source. In this context, the light coming from the light source, before the projection, may strike an electrically controllable optical element having a spatially inhomogeneous refractive index, passing through the same, the refractive index being varied over time within the projection period. This may lead to an averaging out of the speckle pattern on the projection screen. For purposes of illumination, a multimode light source may be used, and/or the light coming from the light source is separated into a plurality of spatial modes, thereby reinforcing the effect. As an optical element, one may employ a liquid crystal element composed of at least two liquid crystal layers, to which a spatially dependent voltage is applied to generate a spatially dependent refractive index. Its birefringence may be compensated by orientating the layers to one another in appropriate fashion.

Method and device for reducing speckle formation on a projection screen

A device for generating, adding and subtracting digital sequences of optical pulses and a method for the secure transmission of information. An interferometer having at least one electro-optical switch or electro-optical modulator positioned in one of its branch sections is used so that binary optical pulse sequences may be added and/or subtracted in the context of an electro-optical device and a method for the secure transmission of information using optical signals.

Device for generating adding and subtracting digital sequences of optical pulses and method for secure transmission of information

An intensity-dependent light modulating device and method involves light successively passing through a polarizer, a first phase retardation plate and a first light modulator. The light then strikes a mirror and then passes once again through the light modulator and the phase retardation plate in the opposite direction, and then strikes an analyzer that is crossed relative to the polarizer. The light modulator and the phase retardation plate are respectively located in an electric field in which the indicatrices of the light modulator and the phase retardation plate are deflected, wherein the deflection of the indicatrix of the light modulator is intensity-dependent. Due to the passage of light through the phase retardation plate and the light modulator, an intensity-dependent rotation of the direction of polarization occurs in such a way that higher intensity light is filtered in the analyzer while lower intensity light is transmitted.

Method and device for attenuating light as a function of intensity

An intensity-dependent light modulating device involves a light successively passing through a polarizer, a first phase retardation plate and a first light modulator. The light then strikes a mirror and passes one again through the light modulator and the phase retardation plate in the opposite direction. The light then strikes an analyzer that is crossed relative to the polarizer. The light modulator and the phase retardation plate are respectively located in an electric field in which the indicatrices of the light modulator and the phase retardation plate are deflected, the deflection of the indicatrix of the light modulator being intensity-dependent. Due to the passage of light through the phase retardation plate and the light modulator, an intensity-dependent rotation of the direction of polarization occurs in such a way that higher intensity light is filtered in the analyzer while lower intensity light is transmitted.

The present invention relates to a method and a device for forming the intensity profile of a laser beam, in particular for producing a homogeneous intensity profile. In an embodiment of the present invention, the laser beam can strike an optically addressable spatial light-modular (OASLM), whose local transmission or reflection properties depend in nonlinear fashion on the local illumination intensity.

Growing community of inventors

Columbia, MD, United States of America

Leonid Alexseevich Beresnev