Patent ID: 8837033

Claim:
A nested loop system for combining coherent laser beams, comprising: multiple laser amplifiers each configured for emitting one of the laser beams, wherein each laser beam is coupled to an output beam splitter; the output beam splitter configured for splitting each laser beam into a primary laser beam and a sampled laser beam both of which are associated with a different one of the lasers and for coupling each sampled laser beam to an inner feedback loop module, wherein each primary laser beam is coupled to a beam combiner optical system; the beam combiner optical system configured for combining the primary laser beams into a combined beam and coupling the combined beam to an output beam sampler; the output beam sampler configured for splitting the combined beam into a primary output beam and a sampled output beam and for coupling the sampled output beam to the inner feedback loop module; multiple inner loop phase modulators, wherein each inner loop phase modulator is paired with and coupled to a different one of the multiple laser amplifiers; and the inner feedback loop module, wherein for each laser amplifier the inner feedback loop module is configured to use the sampled output beam and the sampled laser beam associated with that laser amplifier to create a different inner loop feedback signal and to couple that inner loop feedback signal to the inner loop phase modulator associated with that laser amplifier and wherein each inner loop phase modulator uses an input beam developed from a master-oscillator beam and its associated inner loop feedback signal to adjust the phase of its associated laser amplifier.