Research On High Power Yb:YAG Solid-State Laser And Its Application In Space-based Laser Weapon

The application of high power solid-state laser in space-based lasers weapon is presented in this paper.We have designed the 4kW high power continuous solid-state laser for the first time in china, by the mean of MOPA, the outputs of 100kW are obtained in the end.Applying this design to the space-based lasers weapon system, most targets in space will be effectly destroyed.Space-based high-energy lasers weapon systems are complex systems which composed of high-energy laser system, beam controlling system, precise pointing and tracking system, heat controlling system and energy serving system and so on, and the high energy laser system is one of the most important one in the whole components.We compare the characteristics of the Nd:YAG high power laser and Yb:YAG high power laser, and calculate the power limits of the rod laser and slab laser respectively. The results show that the slab Yb:YAG laser has more excerllent potential for high power output. Then we analyze the heat len effects insides the slab and design the resonator due to the slab configuration.We have firstly put forward a Yb:YAG/YAG composite slab laser scheme with output power of 40kW by laser diode pumping.Using improved ridge-pumped scheme and the hollow lens duct coupling system, we make the laser resonate in the confocal centrifugal unstable resonator.Through pumping by 970mn wavelength, the output laser power of 40kW class is obtained.Furthermore,by the means of MOPA, we gained the continuous laser output of 100kW. The model has been well proved by the lkW output laser experiment in terms of the designation of the slab configuration, heat effects, the slope effects and so on.According to the characteristics of space-based high-energy lasers weapon, we establish the radiant power model and the detector damage model, and obtain the laser power needed when the targets are destroyed in the different orbits.All these show that the 100kW class laser outputs are sufficient and satisfied in the space-laser weapon system.What's more, we have done the damage experiments when the object is put in the vacuum.At last, based on the research of the components of weapon system, such as the solid-state laser, the heating controlling, the energy supply, the optical beam controlling, we separately obtained the areas and the corresponding weights of the weapon system under varities of energy supply and laser working conditions. The results show that the 100kW output laser is small and light enough to reach the need of the space-based weapon.