Scalable zig-zag laser amplifier

1. A high power laser system, comprising:

a master oscillator, for generating a reference laser beam of desired beam quality and other properties;

means for dividing the reference beam into multiple sub-beams;

a multi-slab gain module positioned to receive the multiple sub-beams as input beams and to generate multiple amplified output sub-beams, wherein the multi-slab gain module comprises at least one plurality of solid state slabs functioning as zig-zag amplifiers, at least one source of pump power disposed adjacent to sides of the gain module, and a common liquid cooling system for cooling the slabs;

output sub-beam sampling means;

phase comparison means, for comparing each sampled output sub-beam with the reference beam; and

phase adjustment means, for adjusting the sub-beams in phase to allow the output sub-beams to be coherently combined as a single composite output beam.

2. A high power laser system as defined in claim 1 , and further comprising:

optical means for effecting at least one additional pass through the multi-slab gain module;

wherein the output sub-beam sampling means samples the output sub-beams after the additional pass through the multi-slab gain module.

3. A high power laser system as defined in claim 2 , wherein:

the optical means for effecting the additional pass comprises a polarizer positioned in the input sub-beams, a mirror for reflecting the sub-beams back into the multi-slab gain module, and means for changing polarization of the sub-beams for the second pass;

wherein the polarizer also functions to out-couple the sub-beams that are output from the multi-slab gain module in the additional pass.

4. A high power laser system as defined in claim 2 , wherein:

the optical means for effecting the additional pass comprises a mirror for reflecting the sub-beams back into the multi-slab gain module at a different angle; and

the system further comprises a mirror separator positioned to receive output sub-beams emerging from the additional pass of the multi-slab gain module.

5. A high power laser system as defined in claim 2 , wherein the means for effecting at least one additional pass comprises means for performing polarization multiplexing to distinguish and separate input and output sub-beams, and means for performing angular multiplexing to distinguish input and output sub-beams.

6. A high power laser system as defined in claim 5 , wherein the optical means for effecting at least one additional pass effects at least four passes, and comprises:

an inclined mirror for reflecting the sub-beams completing a first pass back into the multi-slab gain module at a different angle, to effect a second pass;

a mirror separator positioned to receive output sub-beams emerging from the second pass;

means for changing the polarization of the sub-beams of the output sub-beams emerging from the second pass and reflecting the sub-beams in a third pass back along the same paths followed in the second pass, wherein the sub-beams are again reflected by the inclined mirror and make a fourth pass along the same paths followed in the first pass; and

a polarizer positioned to polarize the input sub-beams before the first pass and to receive and out-couple the output sub-beams from the fourth pass.

7. A high power laser system as defined in claim 1 , and further comprising:

at least one additional multi-slab gain module similar to the first multi-slab gain module and positioned to receive as input, amplified output sub-beams from the first multi-slab gain module, wherein the at least one additional multi-slab gain module generates further amplified output sub-beams of high aggregate power; and

beam relay optics, for optically processing the output sub-beams from first and additional multi-slab gain modules, wherein each beam relay optic processes a multiplicity of at least two sub-beams.

8. A high power laser system as defined in claim 2 , and further comprising:

at least one additional multi-slab gain module similar to the first multi-slab gain module and positioned to receive as input, amplified output sub-beams from the first multi-slab gain module, wherein the at least one additional multi-slab gain module generates further amplified output sub-beams of high aggregate power; and

beam relay optics, for optically processing the output sub-beams from first and additional multi-slab gain modules, wherein each beam relay optic processes a multiplicity of at least two sub-beams.

9. A high power laser system as defined in claim 3 , and further comprising:

at least one additional multi-slab gain module similar to the first multi-slab gain module and positioned to receive as input, amplified output sub-beams from the first multi-slab gain module, wherein the at least one additional multi-slab gain module generates further amplified output sub-beams of high aggregate power; and

beam relay optics, for optically processing the output sub-beams from first and additional multi-slab gain modules, wherein each beam relay optic processes a multiplicity of at least two sub-beams.

10. A high power laser system as defined in claim 4 , and further comprising:

at least one additional multi-slab gain module similar to the first multi-slab gain module and positioned to receive as input, amplified output sub-beams from the first multi-slab gain module, wherein the at least one additional multi-slab gain module generates further amplified output sub-beams of high aggregate power; and

beam relay optics, for optically processing the output sub-beams from first and additional multi-slab gain modules, wherein each beam relay optic processes a multiplicity of at least two sub-beams.

11. A high power laser system as defined in claim 5 , and further comprising:

at least one additional multi-slab gain module similar to the first multi-slab gain module and positioned to receive as input, amplified output sub-beams from the first multi-slab gain module, wherein the at least one additional multi-slab gain module generates further amplified output sub-beams of high aggregate power; and

beam relay optics, for optically processing the output sub-beams from first and additional multi-slab gain modules, wherein each beam relay optic processes a multiplicity of at least two sub-beams.

12. A high power laser system as defined in claim 6 , and further comprising:

at least one additional multi-slab gain module similar to the first multi-slab gain module and positioned to receive as input, amplified output sub-beams from the first multi-slab gain module, wherein the at least one additional multi-slab gain module generates further amplified output sub-beams of high aggregate power; and

beam relay optics, for optically processing the output sub-beams from first and additional multi-slab gain modules, wherein each beam relay optic processes a multiplicity of at least two sub-beams.

13. A high power laser system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the phase adjustment means comprises a deformable mirror.

14. A high power laser systems as defined in claim 1 , wherein the phase adjustment means comprises a phase conjugator.

15. A high power laser system as defined in claim 1 , wherein:

the multi-slab gain module comprises multiple pluralities of solid-state slabs arranged in a two-dimensional array; and

the multiple sub-beams input to and output from each multi-slab gain module are also arranged in a two-dimensional array.

16. A high power laser system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the common liquid cooling system circulates a coolant transversely through gaps between side faces of the solid state slabs.