Modal control of solid-state lasers with holographic gratings

Summary form only given. We present experimental results showing that holographic gratings can be used to control the modal content of solid-state lasers. When holographic gratings are inscribed with Gaussian beams, they have the same spatial properties as variable reflectivity mirrors. Simultaneously they can be used as spectral filters, just as ordinary gratings. They can also behave as curved mirrors when the phase front of one writing beams is flat and that of the other is curved. As a result holographic gratings allow one to control the amplitude, phase and frequency distributions of the beam circulating in a laser cavity.