Pulse stretcher

Patent · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:869281

Horton, James A ^[1]

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1. Livermore, CA

Apparatus (20) for increasing the length of a laser pulse to reduce its peak power without substantial loss in the average power of the pulse. The apparatus (20) uses a White cell (10) having a plurality of optical delay paths (18a-18d) of successively increasing number of passes between the field mirror (13) and the objective mirrors (11 and 12). A pulse (26) from a laser (27) travels through a multi-leg reflective path (28) between a beam splitter (21) and a totally reflective mirror (24) to the laser output (37). The laser pulse (26) is also simultaneously injected through the beam splitter (21) to the input mirrors (14a-14d) of the optical delay paths (18a-18d). The pulses from the output mirrors (16a-16d) of the optical delay paths (18a-18d) go simultaneously to the laser output (37) and to the input mirrors ( 14b-14d) of the longer optical delay paths. The beam splitter (21) is 50% reflective and 50% transmissive to provide equal attenuation of all of the pulses at the laser output (37).

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 5309456
• OSTI ID: 869281
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/372/
10
11
12
13
14a-14d
14b-14d
16a-16d
18a-18d
20
21
24
26
27
28
37
50
apparatus
attenuation
average
average power
beam
beam splitter
cell
delay
delay path
equal
field
increasing
injected
input
laser
laser output
laser pulse
length
loss
mirror
mirrors
multi-leg
objective
optical
optical delay
output
passes
path
paths
peak
peak power
plurality
power
provide
pulse
pulse stretcher
pulses
reduce
reflective
reflective mirror
simultaneously
splitter
stretcher
substantial
successively
totally
transmissive
travels
white
white cell