Some of our most ambitious goals require optical power far beyond what any single laser can deliver. **Coherent beam combining**—phase-locking arrays of lasers to act as one—is the key technology. We develop the control systems, optical architectures, and high-damage-threshold components that make extreme optical power possible.
Applications span from gravitational-wave detectors (where higher power means better shot-noise-limited sensitivity) to laser-driven inertial fusion (where tens of megawatts must be delivered in precisely shaped pulses). The physics is rich: maintaining coherence across dozens of channels, compensating for thermal lensing in real time, managing nonlinear effects that would otherwise destroy beam quality.
We also explore **optical enhancement cavities**—resonant structures that recycle photons to build up circulating power orders of magnitude above the input. Combined with adaptive wavefront control, these cavities enable new regimes of light-matter interaction.
This pillar bridges fundamental physics and applied engineering. The same coherent control techniques that might one day power a fusion reactor also improve the sensitivity of searches for dark matter. Students here learn high-power laser systems, nonlinear optics, and real-time feedback at scales few laboratories can offer.
Optical Enhancement Cavities for Laser Fusion
— Develop high-finesse optical enhancement cavities to recycle and shape laser pulses for inertial fusion and high-energy-density physics.
For an overview of all pillars and projects, see the
Research Projects page.
