Auto-alignment developed for large laser system

A principle of optical path adjustment by servo-control mechanism is proposed. A computer program based on this principle has been successfully used in the auto-alignment of a laser system. A large laser system usually consists of an oscillator, a number of amplifiers and extensive optics. While in operation it is difficult to keep the laser beam from drifting. For example, the optical path of the pulsed solid state laser system used in nuclear fusion relies on an alignment control system so that the axial and angular drifts of the beams remain within a tolerable range. In this article we report our research results in this area.