Phase synthesis method in multi-aperture optical systems based on iterative image processing algorithms

Abstract

Background. Modern technologies in the field of optics and photonics place high demands on the quality and output power of the radiation source. The fulfillment of these requirements can currently be achieved by creating multi-aperture laser systems with coherent beam addition. The main problem of creating such systems is the development of phase synthesis methods in a multichannel optical system. Aim. In this paper, we consider a phase synchronization method without a reference beam for a coherent addition system with active feedback, which is based on the Gerchberg–Saxton algorithm. This algorithm makes it possible to reconstruct complex field amplitudes in the aperture and focal planes from intensity distributions in these fields. The application of this algorithm for multichannel systems is analyzed and its features, such as the occurrence of stagnation and ambiguity of the solution, are revealed. Methods. Solutions are proposed to eliminate the problem of convergence of the algorithm to side solutions and getting the iterative procedure into the local extremum using global optimization algorithms, methods of reducing the dimension of the problem and the introduction of antisymmetric amplitude modulation. Results. The paper demonstrates the results of phase field reconstruction for a large number of optical sources. For a seven-aperture system, a physical simulation was performed to restore phase information, confirming the results of numerical modeling. Conclusion. The proposed approach is a reasonable alternative to currently existing methods and can be used in the problem of coherent addition in multichannel optical systems.