Patent ID: 8362410
Filing Date: 2013-01-29
Classification: G02B,H01S

Abstract:
1. A beam control system, comprising: a first adaptive optics servo loop positioned to receive a high-energy beam of electromagnetic energy, the first adaptive optics servo loop introducing a first internal optical-path-difference error; a second adaptive optics servo loop positioned to receive electromagnetic energy from a target, the received electromagnetic energy comprising wavefront aberrations related to atmospheric and other external disturbances, the second adaptive optics servo loop introducing a second internal optical-path-difference error; an aperture-sharing element positioned in a respective optical path of each of the first and second adaptive optics servo loops, the aperture sharing element contributing different optical-path-difference errors to each of the first and second internal optical-path-difference errors, and adapted to (i) obtain a low-energy beam sample of the high-energy beam and (ii) outcouple the high-energy beam; and a third adaptive optics servo loop arranged in electromagnetic communication with each of the first and second adaptive optics servo loops, the arrangement of servo loops adapted to self-cancel substantially all internal optical-path-difference errors in the outcoupled high-energy beam and to pre-compensate the outcoupled high-energy beam according to a conjugate of the wavefront aberrations related to atmospheric and other external disturbances.