Coherent beam combining of lasers: toward wavelength versatility and long-range operation compliance

Abstract

Coherent beam combining (CBC) by active phase control is an efficient technique to power scale fiber laser sources emitting in the near-infrared, between 1 and 2 μm, up to the multi-kilowatt level. Interestingly, it has been demonstrated by our team that CBC could also be used to power scale mid-infrared sources, frequency converters, generating a wavelength between 3 and 5 μm. We present our latest results on coherent combining of continuous-wave highefficiency mid-infrared sources: optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) and detail the difficulties encountered to achieve this combining, as well as the main limitations to efficient operation of CBC in this case. In a second part of this talk, we also present recent results on coherent combining of seven 1.5-μm fiber lasers through active phase control, using frequency-tagging, and operating efficiently on a remote target. A testbed has been designed to combine these 7 lasers on a remote surface, with phase-locking operating through analysis of the optical signal backscattered by the target, in a so-called target-in-the-loop (TIL) experiment. In such TIL configuration, CBC mitigates both laser-amplification-induced and atmospheric turbulence-induced phase fluctuations simultaneously. CBC demonstrated proper operation outdoors, on a target located up to 1 km from the laser and the results from this experimental campaign will be described.