Coherent emission of a linear array of CO2 waveguide lasers with a spatial filter

Experimental and numerical investigations were carried out of phase locking of a linear array of CO₂ waveguide lasers with a spatial filter, as a function of the width of the blocking parts of the filter and of the displacement of the filter across the optic axis. A calculation was made of the elements of a matrix representing optical coupling between the lasers and of the distribution of the fields of the collective modes. At low values of the coupling coefficients, there was a possibility of dynamic regimes with partial phase locking of the fields, leading to a considerable increase in the time-averaged brightness of the output radiation compared with independent emission from the individual lasers.