Fast controllable superimposed emission of CW radiation and ultra-short pulses from one single thin-disk multipass amplifier

Opt Express. 2025 Feb 10;33(3):4563-4572. doi: 10.1364/OE.546735.

Abstract

We present a novel laser concept with a single thin-disk multi-pass amplifier capable of sequentially and simultaneously amplifying both continuous-wave (CW) radiation and ultra-short pulses in a common beam path. Our novel system currently delivers average output powers of up to 0.7 kW with a nearly diffraction-limited single output beam that combines CW and pulsed radiation at a wavelength of 1030 nm. By using a polarization-multiplexing scheme and four acousto-optic modulators (AOMs), the system allows for fast, arbitrary, and seamless adjustment of the absolute average power levels and power ratio between the CW and the pulsed radiation in the common output beam.