PASSIVE DEVICE AND METHOD FOR THE COHERENT COMBINATION OF A PLURALITY OF OPTICAL AMPLIFIERS

摘要

The invention relates to a passive device for the coherent combination of at least two optical amplifiers. According to the invention, said device comprises an interferometer having at least four branches (B1, B2, B3, B4) and comprising optical means for separating and combining polarisation, said means having four inlet-outlet ports that are respectively connected to a branch. The first branch comprises a first polarisation means, a first optical amplifier and a first mirror; the second branch comprises a second polarisation means, a second optical amplifier and a second mirror; the third branch comprises a third polarisation means and a third mirror; the fourth branch (B4) is an inlet-outlet branch of the interferometer; and the first, second and third polarisation means are designed such that a polarised optical beam entering respectively into the first, second or third branch and reflected by the mirror at the end of said branch forms a polarised optical beam that leaves said branch with a polarisation that is orthogonal to the polarisation of the polarised optical beam entering said branch.