Open AccessFourier-optical selection of higher order transverse modes in broad area lasers
Author(s) -
Sandra Wolff,
D. Messerschmidt,
Henning Fouckhardt
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.5.000032
Subject(s) - optics , filamentation , laser , spatial filter , transverse plane , fourier transform , spatial frequency , physics , filter (signal processing) , lens (geology) , transverse mode , materials science , computer science , structural engineering , quantum mechanics , computer vision , engineering
A partially and a highly antire ection coated broad area laser are operated in an external cavity Fourier-optical 4f set-up to experimentally investigate transverse mode selection. The external cavity consists of a lens and a spatial frequency filter. Running freely the lasers show non-stationary filamentation. Placing the spatial filter unit directly onto the optical axis gives cw fundamental mode operation and a transverse shift of the spatial filter in the plane of the active region allows for selective excitation of higher order modes.