Active coherent beam combining of diode lasers

We have demonstrated active coherent beam combination (CBC) of up to 218 semiconductor amplifiers with 38.5?W cw output using up to eleven one-dimensional 21-element individually addressable diode amplifier arrays operating at 960?nm. The amplifier array elements are slab-coupled-optical-waveguide semiconductor amplifiers (SCOWAs) set up in a master-oscillator-power-amplifier configuration. Diffractive optical elements divide the master-oscillator beam to seed multiple arrays of SCOWAs. A SCOWA was phase actuated by adjusting the drive current to each element and controlled using a stochastic-parallel-gradient-descent (SPGD) algorithm for the active CBC. The SPGD is a hill-climbing algorithm that maximizes on-axis intensity in the far field, providing phase locking without needing a reference beam.     

Coherent beam combining of 137 W 2 × 2 fiber amplifier array

We demonstrate coherent beam combining of two-dimensional fiber amplifier arrays with a total of 137 W output power using stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD) algorithm. Compact all-fiber polarization-maintained single frequency fiber amplifier chains are developed and four fiber amplifiers are arranged to 2 × 2 laser array with a fill factor of 70% in the near-field. Active phase control is implemented by a digital signal processor (DSP) based SPGD controller. The fringe visibility of the coherent combined beam profile is as high as 81% when the system is closed-loop controlled despite perturbations of the environment.     

Coherent beam combination of an optical array using adaptive fiber optics collimators

A novel adaptive-fiber-optics-collimator (AFOC) compensating both piston-type and tip/tilt-type phase errors of output beam is introduced, and has been employed in experiments of coherent beam combination (CBC) of a delta distributed fiber array. Feedback control is realized using stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD) algorithm. Excellent CBC effect has been achieved when piston and tip/tilt errors among beamlets corrected. The necessity of wavefront tip/tilt control in CBC is verified. Experimental results exhibit great potential applications of this kind of AFOC in fiber amplifier arrays.     

倾斜相差对光纤激光相干合成的影响与模拟校正

选取不同路数和不同填充因子的合成光束模型,模拟并分析了倾斜相差对相干合成的影响.介绍了倾斜校正的关键器件--自适应光纤光源准直器.在主振荡功率放大器结构的光纤激光相干合成系统中,模拟了随机并行梯度下降(SPGD)算法校正七路激光阵列间时变倾斜相差的动态过程,分析了不同倾斜相差幅值和频率对校正能力的影响.实验表明,要提高相干合成的效果,必须校正倾斜相差;而SPGD算法校正倾斜相差的能力随着倾斜相差幅值和频率的增加而降低.文章为在实际大气环境中实现多路高功率光纤激光的相干合成提供了参考. 关键词： 光纤激光 相干合成 倾斜相位差 动态分析     

自适应光学中SPGD算法关键参数实时调节方法

介绍了随机并行梯度下降（SPGD）算法及其在相干合成中的应用,针对实验中算法关键参数难以调节的难点,提出采用软硬件结合的新方式,实现对实验数据的在线采集和分析以及对SPGD算法关键参数的自动实时调节。开展了4路光纤激光相干合成实验,对不同调节方法进行对比。实验中采用新方式有效调节了SPGD算法中增益系数和随机扰动幅度的取值,合成效果显著。     

Coherent beam combining of two W-level fiber amplifiers in turbulence atmospheric environment based on stochastic parallel gradient descent algorithm

We demonstrate coherent beam combining of two W-level fiber amplifiers based on stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD) algorithm at 8 m distance in a simulated turbulence atmospheric environment. A photodetector was used to get the coherent optical intensity of the main-lobe from a pinhole, based on the intensity and the SPGD algorithm, the phase controlling was performed by the digital signal processor. In order to simulate the atmospheric environment, turbulence was induced in the free space of the light path by fans and air-conditions in the lab. Experimental result shows that the system performs well for long-time both with and without the simulating turbulence in close-loop, combining efficiency as high as 84.25% with turbulence and 84.85% without turbulence were realized. Visibility increased from near zero in open-loop to 0.432 with turbulence and 0.505 without turbulence in close-loop and the residual phase error is controlled to be less than λ/18. The probability of energy encircled in the main-lobe to be more than 70% of its ideal value was increased from 18.66 to 93.71% without turbulence and from 14.80 to 92.49% with turbulence when the system evolves from open-loop to close-loop.     

光纤激光相干合成高速高精度相位控制器

基于随机并行梯度下降算法（SPGD）和现场可编程逻辑阵列（FPGA）设计制作了相干合成（CBC）相位控制器。理论分析表明,该控制器单次迭代速率大于1.125 MHz,对于2路和16路相干合成,其平均控制带宽的理论值分别大于70 kHz和9 kHz,与现有的SPGD算法相位控制器相比有了量级上的提高。利用该控制器进行了验证性实验,表明该控制器能够实现高速高精度相位控制。当利用相位控制器对两路激光的相位进行锁定时,目标圆孔内能量提高了1.51倍,远场光斑对比度提高了5.29倍。     

Numerical and experimental study on coherent beam combining of fibre amplifiers using simulated annealing algorithm

We present the numerical and experimental study on the coherent beam combining of fibre amplifiers by means of simulated annealing (SA) algorithm. The feasibility is validated by the Monte Carlo simulation of correcting static phase distortion using SA algorithm. The performance of SA algorithm under time-varying phase noise is numerically studied by dynamic simulation. It is revealed that the influence of phase noise on the performance of SA algorithm gets stronger with an increase in amplitude or frequency of phase noise; and the laser array that contains more lasers will be more affected from phase noise. The performance of SA algorithm for coherent beam combining is also compared with a widely used stochastic optimization algorithm, i.e., the stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD) algorithm. In a proof-of-concept experiment we demonstrate the coherent beam combining of two 1083~nm fibre amplifiers with a total output power of 12~W and 93% combining efficiency. The contrast of the far-field coherently combined beam profiles is calculated to be as high as 95%.     

两路120 W固体激光高光束质量相干合成

通过主动相位控制实现了两路固体激光器的高光束质量相干合成输出,总输出功率达到240W。建立了两路120W板条激光放大器,通过光束整形获得了高光束质量方形光斑,并实现了高占空比光束拼接,填充因子高于92.4%。研制了光轴一致性探测与控制系统,采用基于压电陶瓷的快反镜实现了光轴的高精度闭环控制,两束激光光轴一致性优于2μrad(RMS)。设计了基于现场可编程门阵列(FPGA)的相位探测与控制系统,用随机并行梯度下降算法(SPGD)锁定了两束激光的活塞相位。相位闭环后,远场光斑峰值提高到开环状态的1.7倍,为理想值的84%。合成光束主瓣包含67%的激光总能量,光束质量(BQ)为1.1。     

Coherent Beam Combining of Three Watt-Level Fiber Amplifiers Using a DSP-Based Stochastic Parallel Gradient Descent Algorithm

We present an experimental study on coherent beam combining of three watt-level fiber amplifiers using a stochas- tic parallel gradient descent （SPGD） algorithm. Phase controlling is performed by running the SPGD algorithm on a digital-signal-processor （DSP） chip with a voltage updating rate of 16500 times per second. Energy encircled in the target pinhole is 2.62 times more than that in an open loop. The combining efficiency is as high as 87%.     

基于偏振自适应和主动相位控制的相干合成的实验研究

进行了非保偏放大器与保偏放大器的相干合成的实验研究。通过随机并行梯度下降（SPGD）算法对非保偏放大器进行偏振自适应控制,使非保偏放大器输出激光的消光比达到11.5 dB,与保偏放大器在同一偏振方向上的光功率占总功率的93.4%。利用单抖动法进行非保偏放大器与保偏放大器的主动相位控制,实现相干合成。实验结果表明:SPGD算法能够有效实现偏振自适应控制,偏振自适应控制前后相干合成远场的条纹对比度从80.1%提高到87.2%,相干合成的效果提升明显;通过增加参与合成的放大器路数,并在各路激光中引入多级功率放大器,能够得到更高的合成功率输出。     

Study on an optical system with coherent laser array source and phase optimization in turbulent atmosphere

Model of an optical system with coherent laser array source and the piston phase optimized by the stochastic parallel gradient descent algorithm is established. With this model, theory of beam propagation through the optical system in turbulent atmosphere is analyzed, and the analytical formulas of the beam average intensity along the propagation path are derived. Strehl ratio of the received beam induced by intensity disorderly distribution and power efficiency of the received beam are introduced to evaluate performance of the optical system. Under the H-V 5/7 atmospheric turbulent model, performance of an optical system with determinate parameters was calculated, and the influences of the propagation distance and the laser wavelength were numerically analyzed, respectively.     

Coherent beam combining of two fiber amplifiers using stochastic parallel gradient descent algorithm

We demonstrate the coherent beam combining of fiber amplifiers using a stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD) algorithm, producing a total output power of 23 W. Active phase control on each amplifier is performed by running the SPGD algorithm on a DSP chip with updating rate of almost 100 kHz. Experimental results show that power encircled in the target pinhole in closed-loop mode is 1.85 times more than that in open-loop mode, which is 92% of the ideal case. The fringe contrast of the far-field fringe pattern is as high as 92% when the system is in closed-loop mode. The whole system in closed-loop mode performs well in a long-time observation.     

基于目标在回路的三路光纤传输激光相干合成实验

实验验证了一种利用目标回光在远场实现相干合成的技术——目标在回路技术.建立了目标在回路相干合成的物理模型,利用可同时调整光程和光束倾斜的自适应光纤光源准直器,同时补偿合成光束间的平移和倾斜相差,实现了基于目标在回路的三路光纤传输激光间相干合成,获得了接近理想情况的合成效果.文章为在实际大气环境中实现多路相干组束的长距离传输提供了参考.     

Speckle-metric-optimization-based adaptive optics for laser beam projection and coherent beam combining

Maximization of a projected laser beam's power density at a remotely located extended object (speckle target) can be achieved by using an adaptive optics (AO) technique based on sensing and optimization of the target-return speckle field's statistical characteristics, referred to here as speckle metrics (SM). SM AO was demonstrated in a target-in-the-loop coherent beam combining experiment using a bistatic laser beam projection system composed of a coherent fiber-array transmitter and a power-in-the-bucket receiver. SM sensing utilized a 50 MHz rate dithering of the projected beam that provided a stair-mode approximation of the outgoing combined beam's wavefront tip and tilt with subaperture piston phases. Fiber-integrated phase shifters were used for both the dithering and SM optimization with stochastic parallel gradient descent control.     

基于随机并行梯度下降算法的多波长激光相干合成

由于受到受激布里渊散射(SBS)等非线性效应的限制,单频激光放大器的功率在百瓦量级,以非单频激光多波长激光作为种子源能够有效地抑制SBS并提高放大器功率.与单频激光相干合成相比,非单频率、多波长激光的相干合成有望将输出激光功率成量级地提高.基于随机并行梯度下降(stochastic parallel gradient descent,SPGD)算法,实现了四波长激光的相干合成.在系统闭环时,四路多波长激光合成后的主瓣能量能够提高3倍,达到理想值的75%.验证了多波长、非单频激光相干合成的可行性,为高功率相干合成的发展提供了新的途径.     

Adaptive correction of vortex laser beam in a closed-loop system with phase only liquid crystal spatial light modulator

We propose and demonstrate the wave front correction of a vortex laser beam by using dual phase only liquid crystal spatial light modulators (LC-SLMs) and a stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD) algorithm. One phase only LC-SLM is used to generate vortex laser beam by loading spiral phase screen onto the wave front of input quasi-Gaussian beam. The other phase only LC-SLM under SPGD controller based on the subzone control method adaptively compensates the wave front of vortex laser beam. Numerical simulation and experimental results show that after correction, vortex doughnut like beam is focused into a beam with airy disk pattern distribution in the far field. The adaptive corrections of vortex laser beam with different optical topological charges are studied. The results show that the optical topological charge has little influence on adaptive correction. The powers in the main lobe of far field intensity distributions of vortex laser beams with different optical topological charges are all greatly improved by adaptive correction. The technique proposed in this paper can be used in optical communication, relay mirror and atmospheric turbulence correction.     

基于随机并行梯度下降算法光纤激光相干合成的高精度相位控制系统

随机并行梯度下降(SPGD)算法是实现大功率主振荡功率放大器相干合成的有效手段之一.分析了SPGD算法用于相干合成的基本原理,设计了基于SPGD算法的相位控制系统,给出了基于该SPGD控制器的相干合成实验结果.理论分析表明,SPGD算法控制器的迭代速率为200kHz,对于两路相干合成的平均控制带宽大于12.5kHz,最优控制精度可达1/179个波长.实验表明,SPGD控制器能够实现高速的相位控制.在相位噪声幅度大于1/10个波长、频率为3kHz的情况下,有效地实现了两路激光的相位锁定,相位残差控制在1/25个波长内.     

Propagation of partially coherent partially phase-locked laser array in turbulent atmosphere

The mechanism for beam quality degradation in recently developed phase locking of high power solid state lasers, which is caused mainly by partially coherent property of element beam and partially phase locking of the laser array, is analyzed in detail. Analytical expression for propagation of partially coherent partially phase-locked laser array in turbulent atmosphere is obtained based on extended Huygens-Fresnel principle. The effect of coherence width, phase error and intensity of turbulence on the beam quality in the target-plane is studied in detail. The tolerance on phase error for laser array with different coherence property is analyzed. It is concluded that the laser array with better coherence is more sensitive to turbulence, and phase control can improve beam quality in the receiving plane only in the case when the element beam has good beam quality and propagates in weak turbulence.     

基于并行梯度下降算法模拟高功率固体激光装置的相干合成

 多路光的相干合成是高功率固体激光装置的关键技术之一。基于合成模型,对4组tilt/tip-piston镜采用并行梯度算法,通过模拟计算实现了光束间的位相锁定和相干合成。结果表明有限次算法迭代次数内,相干合成时远场焦斑10 μm半径范围内的强度比约为非相干合成时的4倍。基于高频响应驱动器和对应的高速控制算法将有可能实现高功率固体激光装置多路输出光束间的相干合成。