Polarization state measuremnets of the industrial 1.2kW cw CO_2 laser beam

摘要

Results concerning the polarization state measurements of the beam emitted by an industrial cw CO_2 transverse-flow laser working at 1.2kW are reported in the paper. A measurement procedure with a rotating analyser and a quarter-phase retarder, designed for a CO_2 laser radiation is applied. The measurements prove that the optical beam transport system modifies the polarization of the laser radiation by increasing its ellipticity. The investigations of the temporal stability of the polarization show that polarization state of the investigated laser fluctuates considerably versus time.