1. Deformable mirror for zigzag solid state lasers
- Author
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David J. Lenz, Richard P. Miller, Erlan S. Bliss, and Charles D. Swift
- Subjects
Physics ,Optical amplifier ,Mirror image ,business.industry ,Aperture ,General Engineering ,Laser ,Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics ,Deformable mirror ,law.invention ,Optics ,law ,Solid-state laser ,Optical cavity ,business ,Adaptive optics - Abstract
A deformable mirror has been designed and built to correct thermally induced aberrations in a medium average power solid-state laser (MPSSL) system. The mirror is capable of correcting typically induced errors of up to two waves in the narrow dimension and up to six waves in the long dimension. It has a clear aperture of 12 mm x 130 mm and serves as one element in the laser cavity. Piezoelectric translators are attached to the mirror through a unique flexure mechanism. This simple mechanical design has proven adequate for controlling low-spatial-frequency aberrations. Although designed specifically for the MPSSL, modifications of this design have application to other optical systems. The mirror design and performance as well as the methodology and techniques used in this development are discussed.
- Published
- 1990
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