Surface High-Energy Laser

We describe a design strategy for high-power solid-state laser oscillators using local correction of thermally induced optical distortion. This offers a potential for scaling lowest order Gaussian mode solid-state laser oscillators directly to high average power, e.g. >100 kW, while using a relatively simple near confocal ring resonator. The waste heat is necessarily produced in the gain region; however, the design strategy facilitates scaling by allowing the laser oscillator to function as though the waste heat was produced in a surface region external to the gain medium.