title: Beam shaping and high-speed, cylinder-lens-free beam guiding using acousto-optical deflectors without additional compensation optics.
abstract: Using acousto-optical deflectors at high deflection speeds via acoustical frequency chirping induces astigmatism, deforming the laser beam in an unfavorable way. Within the paper, we present a method to prevent this effect for an ultrashort pulsed laser beam via acoustical frequency jumps synchronized to the pulse-to-pulse pause. We also demonstrate and give a method to calculate beam shaping capability of acousto-optical deflectors via arbitrary spatial frequency developments during ultrashort laser pulse transit through the deflector. Cylinder-lens-free deflection at >2000 rad/s and beam shaping capability is demonstrated experimentally. In our experiments the switching time between two beam shapes is 1 µs.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Photonic Technologies, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Paul-Gordan-Str. 3, 91052 Erlangen, Germany. peter.bechtold@lpt.uni-erlangen.de
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bechtold
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hohenstein
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007834:Lasers; D007909:Lenses; D008029:Lighting / Q000295:instrumentation*; D055617:Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012031:Refractometry / Q000295:instrumentation*