Amplification of a radially polarised beam in an Yb:YAG thin-slab

Smith, C.R., Beecher, S.J., Mackenzie, J.I. and Clarkson, W.A. (2017) Amplification of a radially polarised beam in an Yb:YAG thin-slab. Applied Physics B, 123 (225). (doi:10.1007/s00340-017-6802-z).

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Abstract

The use of an Yb:YAG thin-slab architecture for amplification of a radially-polarised beam at 1030 nm is investigated and shown to be a promising route for power scaling. The detrimental impact of the Gouy phase shift on radial polarisation purity is considered and a simple scheme for effective phase shift management to restore polarisation purity is presented. Preliminary experiments based on a double-pass amplifier configuration yielded an output beam with a high radial polarisation extinction ratio of 15dB and no degradation in polarisation purity despite the non- axial symmetry of amplifier gain medium. At 50W of launched pump power a small-signal gain of 7.5dB was obtained for a 25mW input, whilst 4.4dB gain was obtained for a 1.45W input. The prospects for further power scaling are discussed.

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Amplification of a radially polarised beam in an YbYAG thin-slab - Accepted Manuscript

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s00340-017-6802-z - Version of Record

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