Coherent optical synthesis using phase-locked lasers and nonlinear optical processes

A technique for laser pulse shaping based on the coherent synthesis of waveforms by phase locking oscillators is proposed. Pulses are produced on one rotational branch of the 00 0 1 to 10 0 0 vibrational transition of CO2 near the 10.6-micron wavelength and are also produced nonlinearly at the other branch frequencies by second harmonic generation and difference frequency mixing. The pulses thus synthesized are then amplified at each rotational branch wavelength of the high-power amplifier. The nonlinear interactions provide pulse steepening, since the output intensity is proportional to the product of the two output intensities. Therefore, the dynamic range requirement can be met by only 12 phase-locked lasers, followed by two stages of nonlinear frequency mixing.