title: Generation of high-purity higher-order Laguerre-Gauss beams at high laser power.
abstract: We have investigated the generation of highly pure higher-order Laguerre-Gauss (LG) beams at high laser power of order 100 W, the same regime that will be used by second-generation gravitational wave interferometers such as Advanced LIGO. We report on the generation of a helical-type LG33 mode with a purity of order 97% at a power of 83 W, the highest power ever reported in literature for a higher-order LG mode. This is a fundamental step in proving technical readiness for use of LG beams in gravitational wave interferometers of future generations.
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom. lc@star.sr.bham.ac.uk
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carbone
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bogan
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fulda
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Freise
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Willke