Axisymmetric angular encoder for laser fusion

We report the demonstration of an angular encoder which produces a discrete conical scan of 25 pulses, each 10 ns in duration. The device is a key optical subsystem for efficient generation of short optical pulses from laser media with short energy storage times. In particular, an encoder of this type may be necessary for use of the rare gas halide laser media in fusion experiments. Our device was also operated as a ring resonator with internal imaging and image rotation. Potential uses, aside from laser fusion, include laser scanning systems and resonator designs in which image rotation is desirable.