To understand the role of beam shaping in improving CBC efficiency, it is important to consider the fill factor. Fill factor refers to the fraction of the output aperture that is effectively utilized by the laser beams. In a coherent beam combining system, the fill factor is influenced by several parameters, including the spacing between individual beams, beam divergence, and potential spatial gaps between beams.
Beam shaping techniques can optimize the fill factor by tailoring the beam profiles and spatial distribution of the individual laser beams. By precisely controlling the beam shapes and positions, beam shaping ensures maximum overlap and utilisation of the available aperture, leading to an improved fill factor.
Coherent beam combining (CBC) is a technique used to combine multiple laser beams into a single, high-power beam with high beam quality. It offers significant advantages over other forms of beam combining in terms of system efficiency, size, weight and power. By utilizing appropriate beam shaping techniques, the fill factor and efficiency of coherent beam combining systems can be further improved.
Coherent beam combining involves the precise phase, polarization and amplitude control of individual input laser beams to achieve an output beam with a single wavefront. This coherent addition of beams into beam with a single wavefront results in a high power beam with excellent beam quality.
