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Efficient phase identification in coherent beam combination using interpretable deep learning

Efficient phase identification in coherent beam combination using interpretable deep learning
Efficient phase identification in coherent beam combination using interpretable deep learning
Coherent Beam Combination (CBC) offers significant power scaling beyond the capabilities of individual fiber lasers, but its effectiveness is heavily reliant on precise phase stabilization. Recent advancements in deep learning have shown potential for phase retrieval from interference intensity patterns in a single step. However, the interpretability of deep learning models and the optimal positioning of the imaging system remain unresolved challenges. In this study, we employ a spatial light modulator to emulate a CBC system and systematically investigate the phase prediction accuracy at various axial positions of the imaging system. We demonstrate that the phase retrieval efficiency can be substantially enhanced by identifying regions of the interference pattern with higher phase sensitivity. This approach enables a significant reduction in input size, allowing for the use of a lightweight fully connected neural network to achieve a phase prediction error of approximately λ/60, with a pure fully connected neural network inference rate of approximately 35 kHz for 7-beamlet hexagonal close-packed array.
1094-4087
17148-17166
Chernikov, Fedor
a5a56a14-d8cf-4a11-8946-dbb145dbda91
Xie, Yunhui
c30c579e-365e-4b11-b50c-89f12a7ca807
Liu, Yuchen
1efd4b12-3f11-4eb1-abea-0f5b40a1a9f1
Grant-Jacob, James A.
c5d144d8-3c43-4195-8e80-edd96bfda91b
Zervas, Michalis
1840a474-dd50-4a55-ab74-6f086aa3f701
Mills, Ben
05f1886e-96ef-420f-b856-4115f4ab36d0
Chernikov, Fedor
a5a56a14-d8cf-4a11-8946-dbb145dbda91
Xie, Yunhui
c30c579e-365e-4b11-b50c-89f12a7ca807
Liu, Yuchen
1efd4b12-3f11-4eb1-abea-0f5b40a1a9f1
Grant-Jacob, James A.
c5d144d8-3c43-4195-8e80-edd96bfda91b
Zervas, Michalis
1840a474-dd50-4a55-ab74-6f086aa3f701
Mills, Ben
05f1886e-96ef-420f-b856-4115f4ab36d0

Chernikov, Fedor, Xie, Yunhui, Liu, Yuchen, Grant-Jacob, James A., Zervas, Michalis and Mills, Ben (2026) Efficient phase identification in coherent beam combination using interpretable deep learning. Optics Express, 34 (9), 17148-17166. (doi:10.1364/OE.590233).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Coherent Beam Combination (CBC) offers significant power scaling beyond the capabilities of individual fiber lasers, but its effectiveness is heavily reliant on precise phase stabilization. Recent advancements in deep learning have shown potential for phase retrieval from interference intensity patterns in a single step. However, the interpretability of deep learning models and the optimal positioning of the imaging system remain unresolved challenges. In this study, we employ a spatial light modulator to emulate a CBC system and systematically investigate the phase prediction accuracy at various axial positions of the imaging system. We demonstrate that the phase retrieval efficiency can be substantially enhanced by identifying regions of the interference pattern with higher phase sensitivity. This approach enables a significant reduction in input size, allowing for the use of a lightweight fully connected neural network to achieve a phase prediction error of approximately λ/60, with a pure fully connected neural network inference rate of approximately 35 kHz for 7-beamlet hexagonal close-packed array.

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Submitted date: 12 January 2026
Accepted/In Press date: 19 April 2026
e-pub ahead of print date: 30 April 2026
Published date: 30 April 2026

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 511336
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/511336
ISSN: 1094-4087
PURE UUID: 914c31e7-159d-48cd-9915-3b421608ddc0
ORCID for Yunhui Xie: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8841-7235
ORCID for Yuchen Liu: ORCID iD orcid.org/0009-0008-3636-1779
ORCID for James A. Grant-Jacob: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4270-4247
ORCID for Michalis Zervas: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-0651-4059
ORCID for Ben Mills: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1784-1012

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 12 May 2026 16:38
Last modified: 15 May 2026 02:09

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Contributors

Author: Fedor Chernikov
Author: Yunhui Xie ORCID iD
Author: Yuchen Liu ORCID iD
Author: James A. Grant-Jacob ORCID iD
Author: Michalis Zervas ORCID iD
Author: Ben Mills ORCID iD

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