Generation of tunable high-order vortex beams from a Hermite-Gaussian thin-disk laser.

Abstract

We demonstrate the generation of high-order, high-power vortex modes from a Hermite-Gaussian (HG) Yb:YAG thin-disk oscillator, with tunable mode orders ranging continuously from one to ten. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest order of HG and vortex modes obtained using a thin-disk module. The output power for most of these modes reaches up to 10 W, setting a new benchmark for intracavity high-order HG mode generation. The mode tunability is demonstrated experimentally and supported by simulations, realized by adjusting the angle and position of the output coupler to manipulate the intracavity resonance conditions. A cylindrical-lens mode converter is employed to transform the generated HG modes into Laguerre-Gaussian vortex modes. The properties of the resulting vortex beams are measured using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and phase retrieval algorithms. Our results demonstrate significant progress in generating high-order structured light with an extended tunable range and high-power operation within thin-disk laser systems, providing new opportunities for applications in light-matter interaction, remote sensing, and optical manufacturing.