All passive optical design laser beam analyzer for high power CO2 lasers

A compact, all passive optical design laser beam analyzer has been developed which can analyze a focused laser beam from a CO2 laser with a wavelength range of 9.4 microns to 10.6 microns and provide real time M-squared, spot size, astigmatism, beam divergence, Rayleigh length and focal position values. The instrument utilizes a special Fabry-Perot resonator and a bolometer sensor which provides a complete beam waist caustic in real time. The unique optical design further incorporates a novel method for adjusting attenuation without the need to implement neutral density filters. The adjustability of the Fabry-Perot resonator provides the means to measure a wide range of focal lengths and very long Rayleigh lengths.