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 ${{\rm LG}_{00}}$ and ${{\rm LG}_{01}}$ 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.

© 2020 Optical Society of America

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