High-resolution digital control of highly multimode laser

Abstract: A rapid and efficient method for generating laser beams with controlled intensity, phase and coherence distributions is presented. It is based on a degenerate cavity laser in which a digital phase-only spatial light modulator is incorporated. We show that a variety of unique and high-resolution shaped laser beams can be generated with either a low or a high spatial coherence. We also show that by controlling the phase, intensity and coherence distributions, a laser beam can be efficiently reshaped after propagation.