Vol. 56, Issue 2, pp. 257-270 (2026)

Abstract

Based on a large-aperture neodymium glass photo-thermo-mechanical coupling model, this study systematically investigates depolarization characteristics under thermal, mechanical clamping, and coupled effects. The results demonstrate that thermal effects contribute significantly more to depolarization than purely mechanical clamping. The depolarization rate induced by lateral symmetric clamping increases nonlinearly with clamping torque, whereas front-side clamping structures substantially reduce local stress concentration, resulting in a lower depolarization and a more gradual increase with torque. Under thermo-mechanical coupling, constrained thermal expansion shear stress, leading to a pronounced nonlinear enhancement of the depolarization effect. Based on these mechanisms, we propose suppressing polarization by optimizing the clamping configuration and improving cooling uniformity. This work provides a theoretical foundation and practical engineering guidance for polarization stability control and the structural design of neodymium glass amplifiers in high-power laser systems.