Radially polarized 3 kW beam from a CO_(2) laser with an intracavity resonant grating mirror

摘要

A 3 kW radially polarized beam is generated from a CO_(2) laser by means of a resonant grating mirror. Thedesign results and spectral characterization of a broadband polarizing mirror are presented as well as the mirror's operation in a CO_(2) laser resonator. In a long-term experiment a radially polarized beam with a power of 2.7 kW was observed for several hours, proving the high stability of this polarizing scheme.