Intracavity Beam Behavior in Hybrid Resonator Planar-Waveguide CO(2) Lasers.
We describe a combined computer simulation and experimental investigation of the intracavity spatial beam profile characteristics of a planar-waveguide rf-excited CO(2) laser that incorporates a hybrid waveguide confocal unstable negative-branch resonator. The study includes results for the intracavity lateral beam intensity profile and output power of the laser as a function of resonator mirror misalignment. In addition, the behavior of the unstable resonator, observed experimentally and predicted by the simulation, in generating localized high intensity hot-spots when it is subjected to relatively large misalignment angles is reported.
Wasilewski
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B
Baker
H J
HJ
Hall
D R
DR