We present a Yb:YAG thin-disk laser with an adjustable and stable beam profile. A double-cavity geometry with an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) makes the spatial separation of the gain area, in… Click to show full abstract
We present a Yb:YAG thin-disk laser with an adjustable and stable beam profile. A double-cavity geometry with an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) makes the spatial separation of the gain area, in which the central and external parts are used for LG00 and LG01 mode generation, respectively. By changing the loss of the AOM, the beam profile of the primary cavity is adjustable from annularity to flat-top continuously. At input pump power of 44 W, 8.5 W annular, 11.1 W shallow crater-shaped, and 12.1 W flat-topped modes were obtained. Moreover, the thin-disk laser with a multi-pass pumping scheme not only improves thermal management, but also minimizes depolarization loss, allowing the optimization of mode stability and laser performances. This Letter implies that a high-power laser with an adjustable and stable beam profile can be implemented via this scheme.
               
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