Abstract

Projected Nd:YAG laser applications require greater pulse energies, higher data rates, and spatially more uniform output beams than are presently available. The High Performance Laser (HPL) oscillator–amplifier system produces 500-mJ pulses of 17-nsec width. The depolarized output is constant over the pulse repetition frequency range of 10-60 Hz. Without compensation for thermal lensing, the raw-beam divergence is 4 mR at 10 Hz, increasing to 8 mR at 60 Hz. Examination of the multimode beam profile across the output aperture shows a single broad lobe with no secondary maxima and a peak-to-average intensity ratio less than three.

© 1976 Optical Society of America