Phase-Locked Microlaser Array

为了达到更高的功率，激光研究人员开发了更大且越来越复杂的激光器。 装置.另一种缩放方法是将许多简单的低功率激光器的输出功率联合收割机组合成阵列。微激光器是完美的阵列元件，因为它们是可批量生产的，并且具有偏振、单频、衍射极限输出。 Aculight基于对相干操作的需求开发了一种独特的微激光器阵列。一个连贯 具有N个元件的阵列产生的输出光束在远距离目标上比非相干N元件阵列强N倍，或者在透镜的焦点处比非相干N元件阵列小N倍。由于微激光器阵列可以很容易地包含几百个元件，因此相干操作的好处很大。相干操作打开应用程序， 复合材料和陶瓷等先进材料的机械加工和处理。它还支持需要使用非线性光学将输出波长转换为光谱的其他部分的应用。相干 操作也是电子束转向用于军事和商业应用的下一步。这些机会只有在以前开发的Aculight微激光阵列硬件的情况下才有可能实现。 拟议的第一阶段计划的目的是证明Aculight的连贯操作 微激光器阵列我们将为阵列制造伺服控制电子设备，并将电路集成到现有的计算机中。我们将测试激光器对功率、冷却和其他变量变化的敏感性，以确定最终的商业可行性。预期的结果是一个紧凑的，可扩展的激光器，具有高光束质量和单频输出。

9360378 Tidwell In an effort to reach higher powers, laser researchers have developed larger and increasingly complex devices. An alternate scaling approach is to combine the output power of many simple low-power lasers in an array. Microlasers are the perfect array elements because they are mass-producible and have polarized, singlefrequency, diffraction-limited outputs. Aculight has developed a unique microlaser array based on the desire for coherent operation. A coherent array with N elements produces an output beam that is N times more powerful on a distant target or N times smaller at the focus of a lens than an incoherent N-element array. Since microlaser arrays can easily contain several hundred elements, the benefit of coherent operation is great. Coherent operation opens applications in machining and processing of advanced materials such as composites and ceramics. It also enables applications requiring the output wavelength to be converted to other parts of the spectrum using nonlinear optics. Coherent operation is also the next step toward electronic beam steering for military and commercial applications. These opportunities are possible only with the previous development of the Aculight mircolaser array hardware. The objective of the proposed Phase I program will be to demonstrate coherent operation of the Aculight microlaser array. We will fabricate servo control electronics for the array and integrate the circuitry into the existing computer. We will test the sensitivity of the laser to variations in power, cooling, and other variables to determine the ultimate commercial feasibility. The anticipated result is a compact, scalable laser with high beam quality and single-frequency output.