Attenuator for high-power unpolarized laser beams

1. An apparatus for attenuating the power of a laser beam from an initial level to a lower target level, comprising:

first and second polarizing beamsplitters and at least one reflector, each of said polarizing-beamsplitters arranged to transmit radiation plane-polarized in a first orientation and reflect radiation plane-polarized in a second orientation;

said first and second polarizing beamsplitters and said at least one reflector being arranged such that said first polarizing beamsplitter receives the beam to be attenuated and divides the beam into a first component transmitted along a first path to said second beamsplitter and a second component reflected along a second path, including said reflector, to said second beamsplitter;

said first and second beamsplitters and said at least one reflector being further arranged such that any portion of said first beam-component transmitted by said second polarizing beamsplitter propagates along a common path with any portion of said second beam-component reflected by said second polarizing beamsplitter;

first and second polarization rotators located in respectively said first and second beam paths wherein said first polarization rotator is rotatable about an axis aligned with said first beam path and said second polarization rotator is rotatable about an axis aligned with said second beam path in a manner to selectively vary the polarization orientation of said first and second beam components; and

means for synchronously controlling the orientation of the polarization rotators so that the sum of the power of said portion of the first beam-component transmitted by said second polarizing beamsplitter and said portion of said second beam-component reflected by said second polarizing beamsplitter corresponds to said target level and will remain substantially at that target level even if an initial polarization state of the laser beam varies.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first and second polarization orientations are perpendicular to each other.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first and second polarizing beamsplitters are front-surface polarizing beamsplitters.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first and second polarizing beamsplitters are internal-surface biprism-type polarizing beamsplitters.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein any portion of said first beam component reflected by said second polarizing beamsplitter propagates along a common path with any portion of said second beam component transmitted by said second polarizing beamsplitter.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of said first and second polarization rotators is a half-wave plate.

7. An apparatus for attenuating the power of an unpolarized light beam from an initial level to a lower target level comprising:

a polarizing beam splitter for dividing the light beam along two paths;

a pair of polarization rotators, one of each being located in one of said two paths, each said rotator being rotatable about an axis aligned with the respective path in a manner to selectively vary the polarization orientation of the light passing therethrough;

a polarizing beam combiner positioned at an intersection of the two paths downstream from said polarization rotators, said combiner for reflecting a portion of the light from each path and transmitting a portion of the light from each path; and

means for synchronously controlling the orientation of the polarization rotators such that the ratio of the light transmitted by the combiner with respect to the light reflected by the combiner can be varied such that the power of one of the light either transmitted or reflected by the beam combiner corresponds to said target level and will remain substantially at that target level even if an initial polarization state of the laser beam varies.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the polarization rotators are controlled so that the amount of polarization rotation in each path is the same.