Method and apparatus for reducing coherence of high-power laser beams

Patent · 31 December 1977

OSTI ID:863189

Moncur, Norman K ^[1]; Mayer, Frederick J ^[1]

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1. Ann Arbor, MI

Method and apparatus for reducing the coherence and for smoothing the power density profile of a collimated high-power laser beam in which the beam is focused at a point on the surface of a target fabricated of material having a low atomic number. The initial portion of the focused beam heats the material to form a hot reflective plasma at the material surface. The remaining, major portion of the focused beam is reflected by the plasma and recollected to form a collimated beam having reduced beam coherence.

• Assignee: KMS Fusion, Inc. (Ann Arbor, MI)
• Patent Number(s): US 4116542
• OSTI ID: 863189
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/359/219/376/
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