Laguerre-Gaussian beam generation via enhanced intracavity spherical aberration

We demonstrate an end-pumped Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) mode-selectable Nd:YVO4 laser utilizing enhanced intracavity spherical aberration. The cavity was designed to exploit strong spherical aberration generated by an expanded beam, incident on a short-focal-length lens, which enabled oscillation of cavity modes of different order. This compact-cavity laser could operate efficiently with high-order LG mode, with the order of this mode being selectively changed by simply adjusting the distance between the short-focal-length lens and the output coupler. Scalar LG modes from LG(0),(+/- 10) to up to LG(0),(+/- 33) were observed in the experiment. The output power of the LG(0),(+/- 33) mode was 1.87 W under an absorbed pump power of 6.6 W. (C) 2021 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement

Automated summary

In this study, a novel end-pumped Laguerre-Gaussian mode-selectable laser was demonstrated by utilizing enhanced intracavity spherical aberration to enable oscillation of cavity modes of different order. By adjusting the distance between the lens and the output coupler, the order of the LG mode could be selectively changed. Multiple scalar LG modes were observed in the experiment, with the output power of the LG(0),(+/- 33) mode reaching 1.87 W under an absorbed pump power of 6.6 W.