Abstract

Optical smoothing of a pulsed Nd:glass laser focal spot using an optical fiber in the front has been successfully demonstrated. The dispersive effect of the fiber transfers the temporal incoherence of a 3-nm spectral width 1-ns duration silicate glass oscillator pulse into spatial incoherence. Thus, interference effects are considerably reduced at the fiber output, which is then imaged throughout the amplifying chain. A slight time dependence of the line frequency after amplification is recorded but the spectral width does not change. The 300-μm diam focal spot is the last image of the fiber output in which the 70-J total energy is concentrated.

© 1989 Optical Society of America