Abstract

We present a fast and easy technique for measuring the beam propagation ratio, $M^2$, of laser beams using a spatial light modulator. Our technique is based on digitally simulating the free-space propagation of light, thus eliminating the need for the traditional scan in the propagation direction. We illustrate two approaches to achieving this, neither of which requires any information of the laser beam under investigation nor necessitates any moving optical components. The comparison with theoretical predictions reveals excellent agreement and proves the accuracy of the technique.

© 2012 Optical Society of America

High-quality generation of a multispot pattern using a spatial light modulator with adaptive feedback

Naoya Matsumoto, Takashi Inoue, Taro Ando, Yu Takiguchi, Yoshiyuki Ohtake, and Haruyoshi Toyoda
Opt. Lett. 37(15) 3135-3137 (2012)

Generation of high-quality higher-order Laguerre-Gaussian beams using liquid-crystal-on-silicon spatial light modulators

Naoya Matsumoto, Taro Ando, Takashi Inoue, Yoshiyuki Ohtake, Norihiro Fukuchi, and Tsutomu Hara
J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 25(7) 1642-1651 (2008)

Generation of hollow beams by using a binary spatial light modulator

Fredrik K. Fatemi and Mark Bashkansky
Opt. Lett. 31(7) 864-866 (2006)

Universal generation of higher-order multiringed Laguerre-Gaussian beams by using a spatial light modulator

Yoshiyuki Ohtake, Taro Ando, Norihiro Fukuchi, Naoya Matsumoto, Haruyasu Ito, and Tsutomu Hara
Opt. Lett. 32(11) 1411-1413 (2007)

Mode analysis with a spatial light modulator as a correlation filter

Daniel Flamm, Darryl Naidoo, Christian Schulze, Andrew Forbes, and Michael Duparré
Opt. Lett. 37(13) 2478-2480 (2012)