Diffraction and self-focusing during amplification of high-power light pulses. II. Suppression of harmful influence of diffraction and self-focusing on a laser beam

Possible ways of suppressing the harmful influence of the diffraction and self-focusing on a laser beam are considered. These methods include the use of apertures with piecewise-linear boundaries, apertures with a diffuse absorption edge and diverging beams, and the splitting of a continuous active medium into fragments (disks).