title: Experimental realization of a diffractive unstable resonator with Gaussian amplitude of the outcoupled beam using a VECSEL amplifier.
abstract: Unstable resonators show an intense discrimination of undesired higher order modes but a high beam quality cannot be obtained with conventional resonators composed of spherical mirrors. In the present paper we demonstrate the possibility to tailor the fundamental mode by inserting diffractive elements into the resonator to generate a desirable output beam profile even for unstable resonators. We show a concept to design such surface structured elements for customizing the amplitude shape of the outcoupled beam. Further we demonstrate the first experimental realization of an unstable diffractive resonator with a Gaussian shaped amplitude profile of the laser beam for a vertical external cavity surface emitting laser (VECSEL).
authors.affiliation: Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering Albert Einstein Strasse 7, D-07745 Jena, Germany. christoph.eckstein@iof.fraunhofer.de
authors.forename: Hans-Christoph
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Eckstein
authors.forename: Uwe Detlef
authors.initials: UD
authors.lastname: Zeitner
mesh_terms: D000669:Amplifiers, Electronic; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007834:Lasers; D016011:Normal Distribution; D009991:Oscillometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012031:Refractometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity