A new method for the correction of wavefront distortions in laser interferometers is proposed. In contrast to the usual adaptive correction, by means of piezoelectric actuators, a high power laser beam is used to control the thermal expansion of the optical elements. Since the correction is performed without mechanically contacting the element, no additional mechanical noise is introduced. Init...

An ultra-sensitive photo-acoustic spectrometer using a 10.4 lm broadly tunable mid-IR external cavity quantum cascade laser (EC-QCL) coupled with optical feedback to an optical power buildup cavity with high reflectivity mirrors was developed and tested. A laser optical power buildup factor of 181 was achieved, which corresponds to an intra-cavity power of 9.6 W at a wavelength of 10.4 lm. With...

The authors observed 95% enhancement in continuous-wave laser power on the 1315 nm transition of atomic iodine for only a 50% increase in gain length (5.1 cm to 7.6 cm), flow rates, and discharge input power, making use of a large volume 16-mm gap transverse discharge. A gain of 0.26% cm was obtained and the laser output power was 55 W in a stable resonator with two 5 cm (2-in.) diameter, 0.997...

The authors developed a novel method for phase controlling of a stimulated Brillouin stimulated scattering wave (SBS wave) by a single concave mirror which is the most simple way ever found. The beam combination of small lasers using the SBS-phase conjugate mirrors enables the development of the unlimitedly high energy/high power laser operating at high repetition rate that is the same as the c...

A new solution for building high power, solid state lasers for space flight is to fabricate the whole laser resonator in a single (monolithic) structure or alternatively to build a contiguous diffusion bonded or welded structure. Monolithic lasers provide numerous advantages for space flight solid-state lasers by minimizing misalignment concerns. The closed cavity is immune to contamination. Th...

The sensitivity of present ground-based gravitational wave antennas is too low to detect many events per year. It has, therefore, been planned for years to build advanced detectors allowing actual astrophysical observations and investigations. In such advanced detectors, one major issue is to increase the laser power in order to reduce shot noise. However, this is useless if the thermal noise r...

High-order dispersion introduced by Gires–Tournois interferometer mirrors usually causes spectral sidebands in the near-zero region of mode-locked fiber lasers. Here, we demonstrate a sideband-free Yb-doped laser with dispersion-compensating mirrors. Both simulation and experiment that wavelength energy can be tuned changing transmission coefficient output mirror, pump power, ratio net cavity t...

the present article considers the nd:yag pulsed laser welding of 304 stainless steels with two different compositions. the effects of various laser operational parameters and cooling rates on the weld microstructures were considered. the results show that ferritic solidification is produced in the stainless steel with the creq/nieq ratio of 1.7, and austenitic solidification is produced in the ...