Radially polarized 3kW beam from a CO_2 laser with an intracavity resonant grating mirror

Abstract

A 3 kW radially polarized beam is generated from a CO(2) laser by means of a resonant grating mirror. The design 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.