Continuously one-dimensional steering of coherently combined beam utilizing phased array of liquid crystal optical phased arrays (PALCOPA)

We present an effective method to realize continuously one-dimensional steering of coherently combined beam in the field-of-view of PALCOPA. To achieve this purpose, besides the linear phase profiles to steer the incident lasers, extra phase modulations should be applied to them. These phase offsets depend on both the assigned deflection angle of combined beam and the parameters of beam combining system. Using the Fraunhofer propagation principle, we derive the analytical expressions of the far-field intensity distribution of the combined beam. The analytical functions demonstrate the validity of the proposed method. Finally, we evaluate the proposed technique through computer simulations and experiments, by considering three main indicators of the combined beam, i.e. deflection accuracy, mainlobe width and combining gain.