High-energy laser system having gyroscopically stabilized optical elements

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention overcomes these and other disadvantages, and provides mechanical wave energy vibrational decoupling for the cavity mirrors and other optical elements of a high-energy laser system by gyroscopic inertia.
In preferred embodiment, the high-energy laser system having gyroscopically stabilized optical elements of the present invention includes a confocal unstable high-energy laser resonator having first and second spaced-apart cavity feedback mirrors, and means coupled to one or both of the cavity mirrors for angularly rotating the mirrors such that the spin vector of the mirrors is coincident with the gyroscopic axis of stability.
The gyroscopic inertia of the angularly rotating cavity feedback mirrors thereby tends to maintain the direction of its spin vector with respect to inertial space unaltered when it is subjected to unbalanced mechanical wave energy induced angular torque impulses.
Means are provided for sensing the inclination of the spin vector of the optical elements with respect to other elements so that they too can be stabilized with respect to inertial space.
Means are provided for controlling the spin vector direction with respect to inertial space so that the mirror can be pointed by externally generated command and so that gyroscopic precession induced by fixed torques or rotor to base motion can be compensated.
The angularly rotating cavity feedback mirrors create aerodynamic flows which cool the high-energy cavity feedback mirrors by forced convective heat transport.
In addition, every material particle of the angularly rotating high-energy cavity feedback mirrors sweeps through an annular path every revolution whch prevents hot-spot formation and extends the useful operating life.