Laser beam combining techniques allow increasing the power of lasers far beyond what it is possible to obtain from a single conventional laser.One step further, coherent beam combining (CBC) also helps to maintain the very unique properties of the laser emission with respect to its spectral and spatial properties. Such lasers are of major interest for many applications, including industrial, environmental, defense, and scientific applications. Recently, significant progress has beenmade in coherent beam combining lasers, with a total output power of 100 kW already achieved. Scaling analysis indicates that further increase of output power with excellent beam quality is feasible by using existing state-of-the-art lasers. Thus, the knowledge of coherent beam combining techniques will become crucial for the design of next-generation highpower lasers. The purpose of this book is to present the more recent concepts of coherent beam combining by world leader teams in the field.
About the Author
Dr. Arnaud Brignon is Head of the Micro and Nano-Physics Laboratory in Thales Research & Technology, France. He received his Engineering Degree in 1991 from the Institut d?Optique Graduate School, and his PhD in 1996 from the Paris University, France. Arnaud Brignon has authored more than 150 papers (including some 30 invited and tutorials) on laser beam control, two books, and 30 patents. In 1996 he received the Fabry-de-Gramont prize from the French Optical Society, in 2000 the Fresnel prize from the European Physical Society, and in 2001 the Technology Review?s Award from the MIT.
