Realization of large energy proportion in the central lobe by coherent beam combination based on conformal projection system

Abstract In this paper, we experimentally validate a tiled-aperture conformal projection system with the largest array filling factor and element beam truncation factor to the best of our knowledge. The conformal projection system, which is made up of a hexagonal adaptive fiber-optics collimator (AFOC) array with the proximate ideal intensity distributions, is fabricated and the performance of output beam is tested and evaluated properly and carefully. Both of the active phase-locking control and precise tip-tilt control are implemented successfully in the CBC of the hexagonal seven-beam-array. Experimental results show a large energy proportion (47%, which increases by over 10% comparing with the previously demonstrated largest value) in the central lobe is achieved and the residual phase error is lower than λ/27. When the AFOC array performs, the precise tilt control makes the combining beams overlap well and the average normalized metric value is improved from 0.336 without control to 0.947 with both of active piston and tip-tilt phase controls while the fringe contrast increases from 19% to more than 91% correspondingly. This work presents a promising structure for the achievement of large energy proportion in the central lobe in high power fiber laser CBC systems.