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Title: Entirely reflective slit spatial filter for high-energy laser systems

Journal Article · · Optics Express
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2];  [2]
  1. Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
  2. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States). NIF & Photon Sciences, Advanced Photon Technologies Program
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An entirely reflective slit spatial filter is proposed to provide spatial filtering, gain isolation, and ASE mitigation for high-energy laser systems. The traditional circular pinhole is replaced by two orthogonal slits, which lowers the intensity at the spatial filter plane by up to two orders of magnitude, and by using reflective optics we reduce spatial dispersion and eliminate B-integral effects. A ray trace model of the spatial filter shows excellent transmitted wavefront, but also indicates aberrations at the foci from using cylindrical optics at 45°. It is expected that the use of off-axis parabolic mirrors would mitigate this issue but comes at the cost of more complicated, expensive optics and more complex alignment. We created a numerical model based on Fourier optics to explain this effect and guide design requirements to mitigate it. High-quality imaging and filtering capabilities are demonstrated experimentally.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344; 17-ERD-033
OSTI ID:
1565970
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1568004
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-758559; OPEXFF; 945775
Journal Information:
Optics Express, Vol. 27, Issue 19; ISSN 1094-4087
Publisher:
Optical Society of America (OSA)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Figures / Tables (8)

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Fig. 6(p. 9)figure Fig. 6
Table 1(p. 9)table Table 1
Fig. 7(p. 10)figure Fig. 7

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