Gatling gun laser pulse amplifier using an optical diode

摘要

A laser oscillator system which transmits laser input beam pulses through an optical diode and into a plurality of time-multiplexed phase conjugate amplifier which sequentially amplify in chronological order subsequent input beam pulses. The optical diode is positioned on the oscillator laser beam pulse axis and is comprised of a polarizer, a half-wave plate which rotates the pulse polarity by 45 DEG in one direction and a Faraday rotator which rotates the pulse polarity 45 DEG in the opposite direction. A plurality of grouped Pockels cells and polarizers are positioned on the oscillator axis past the Faraday rotator. The polarizers route the input beam pulse toward a phase conjugate amplifier when a half-wave voltage is applied to the Pockels cell. Each phase conjugate amplifier has a phase conjugate mirror, at its output for retroreflecting the once amplified input laser beam pulse back therethrough for a second amplification. The twice amplified laser beam pulse is returned back to and reflected off the beam splitter back through the Pockels cell. The pockels cell rotates the pusle back to its orignial polarity as the pulse returns to the optical diode. Teh faraday rotator rotates the pulse 45 DEG and the half-wave plate rotates the pulse another 45 DEG for a total of 90 DEG . The 90 DEG rotated amplified output pulses from the time multiplexed amplifiers are reflected off the polarizer and out the laser system.