• Korean Journal of Optics and Photonics
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.150-156
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• 2024

One of the key factors in research regarding long-distance laser beam propagation, as in free-space optical communication or laser power transmission, is the transmission efficiency of the laser beam. As a way to improve efficiency, we perform extensive numerical simulations of the effect of modifying the laser beam's profile, especially replacing the fundamental Gaussian beam with a super-Gaussian beam. Numerical simulations of the transmitted power in the ideal diffraction-limited beam diameter determined by the optical system of the transmitter, after about 1-km propagation, reveal that the second-order super-Gaussian beam can yield superior performance to that of the fundamental Gaussian beam, in both single-channel and coherently combined multi-channel laser transmitters. The improvement of the transmission efficiency for a 1-km propagation distance when using a second-order super-Gaussian beam, in comparison with a fundamental Gaussian beam, is estimated at over 1.2% in the singlechannel laser transmitter, and over 4.2% and over 4.6% in coherently combined 3- and 7-channel laser transmitters, respectively. For a range of the propagation distance varying from 750 to 1,250 m, the improvement in transmission efficiency by use of the second-order super-Gaussian beam is estimated at over 1.2% in the single-channel laser transmitter, and over 4.1% and over 4.0% in the coherently combined 3- and 7-channel laser transmitters, respectively. These simulation results will pave the way for future advances in the generation of higher-order super-Gaussian beams and the development of long-distance optical energy-transfer technology.