Abstract

The Alpha LAMP Integration (ALI) experiment combines the elements of a high power laser and a large segmented primary mirror. The purpose of the ALI experiment is to demonstrate beam control of a high power laser using Holographic Optical Elements on a large primary mirror. We present an optical propagation analysis of the ALI experiment. The simulation includes a physical optics description for beam propagation using standard Fourier methods with a realistic thermal distortion model for the mirrors. Also included in the optical simulation are realistic models for the wavefront correction and out-going wavefront sensor. In this paper, we show results quantifying the ALI performance and identify areas which can critically impact the performance of the ALI experiment.

© 1990 Optical Society of America