Search

The use of the post-compression technique ensures gain in laser pulse peak power but at the same time degrades beam focusability due to the nonlinear wavefront distortions caused by a spatially nonuniform beam profile. In this paper a substantial focusability improvement of a post-compressed laser pulse by means of adaptive optics was demonstrated experimentally. The Strehl ratio increase from 0.16 to 0.43 was measured. Simulations showed that the peak intensity in this case reaches 0.52 of the theoretical limit.

Deformable mirrors are vital components of any adaptive optical system. Considering such a crucial role in compensation of incident wavefront distortions, the main requirements are imposed on these elements that determine performance of the entire system. To correct for phase distortions in high-power laser complexes a stacked-actuator deformable mirror with water cooling was developed. The main characteristics of the mirror, such as the initial surface profile (flatness), response functions of the actuators, maximal stroke, and amplitude-frequency characteristics are presented in this paper. Experimental investigations of the proposed cooling method of the mirror surface through actuators were performed.