国产纺锤形渐变掺镱光纤实现6 kW宽谱激光输出

高功率高光束质量光纤激光器在工业加工等领域有着广泛的应用,然而光纤中的非线性效应和模式不稳定效应限制着高光束质量光纤激光器的功率提升,采用新型结构大模场增益光纤在同时抑制非线性效应和模式不稳定效应方面具有较大潜力。报道了基于单位自研的纺锤形渐变掺镱光纤激光成功实现6 kW功率、高光束质量激光输出。激光器采用主振荡功率放大结构,放大级采用双向981 nm泵浦纺锤形渐变掺镱光纤,在总泵浦功率为7.68 kW时,输出功率达到6.02 kW,光束质量M2因子约为1.9。通过进一步优化纺锤形掺镱光纤制作工艺及结构参数,有望实现更高功率、近单模光束质量的光纤激光输出。     

国产25/400μm掺镱双包层光纤实现2.2kW窄线宽单模激光输出

基于自主研制的均匀掺杂低热光系数25/400μm掺镱双包层光纤,开展了全光纤高功率窄线宽光纤激光放大实验。激光系统实现了中心波长为1060.3 nm、线宽为25 GHz、最高功率为2.2 kW的单模激光输出,其斜率效率达78%,光束质量因子M~2≈1.2,其功率是目前报道的基于国产25/400μm掺镱双包层光纤窄线宽放大器单模激光输出的最高功率。     

基于M型掺镱光纤的近单模2 kW光纤放大器

模式不稳定效应和非线性效应已经成为高功率光纤激光器中限制输出功率和光束质量进一步提升的主要障碍.采用改进的化学气相沉积工艺结合溶液掺杂技术制备25/400μm的M型掺镱双包层光纤,纤芯和中间凹陷区域的数值孔径分别为0.054和0.025.基于该光纤搭建976 nm双向泵浦全光纤结构放大器.在泵浦光功率为3283 W时,获得2285 W中心波长为1080 nm的激光输出,3 dB线宽为3.01 nm,测量的光束质量因子为1.42,且未出现受激拉曼散射现象.这是目前基于M型掺镱光纤实现的最高输出功率,通过优化光纤结构参数实现功率进一步提升是有希望的.     

高峰值功率掺Yb3+石英光纤脉冲单频MOPA

报道了基于掺Yb³⁺石英有源光纤的高峰值功率脉冲单频激光主振荡功率放大器(MOPA)。实验研究了主放大器中有源光纤长度对脉冲单频激光峰值功率、受激布里渊散射(SBS)阈值和光-光转换效率的影响,为优化激光器的转换效率和抑制SBS效应提供了依据。当使用的有源光纤长度为0.9 m时,21 W泵浦功率下脉冲宽度为2.4 ns、重复频率为20 kHz的1064.4 nm脉冲单频激光的平均输出功率为4.37 W,且没有明显的连续波放大自发辐射(ASE)成分,对应的单脉冲能量为0.22 mJ,峰值功率可达91 kW。最大输出功率时脉冲单频激光光谱线宽为279 MHz,光信噪比为45 dB,光束质量因子M2为1.44。     

1μm全光纤MOPA结构激光器输出特性研究

主振荡功率放大（main oscillation power amplification, MOPA）结构由于其光束质量良好和参数可调的优点,已成为高功率光纤激光器的主流设计之一。为了改善高功率掺镱光纤激光器（ytterbium-doped fiber laser, YDFL）的输出性能,提高系统的光-光转换效率,文中报道了一台基于915 nm泵浦激光器和双包层掺镱光纤（ytterbium-doped fiber, YDF）的MOPA结构全光纤高功率激光器。该高功率光纤激光器由电调制激光二极管（laser diode, LD）泵浦的种子激光器和掺镱光纤放大器（ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier, YDFA）组成。连续光（continuous wave, CW）工作模式下,激光种子源经过YDFA后,实现了中心波长为1 069.96 nm的激光输出,最大平均输出功率可达945.9 W,MOPA激光器整机的斜率效率高达74.12%,具有良好的稳健性。该研究方案对研制高功率MOPA光纤激光器具有参考意义。     

窄线宽光纤激光器在1030 nm波段实现3 kW近衍射极限输出

基于大模场面积掺镱光纤搭建了全光纤1030 nm高功率窄线宽光纤激光主振荡功率放大系统,实现了3004 W的最高功率输出,斜率效率69.27%,是目前报道的输出功率最高的1030 nm波段近衍射极限光纤激光器。最高输出功率时,x,y方向的光束质量因子分别为1.169,1.174,3 dB光谱宽度为0.18 nm,放大自发辐射抑制比达到37 dB。     

单模光纤激光极限功率的数值研究

对光纤激光极限功率的探索和其受限因素的分析, 有利于为大功率光纤激光器的发展提供理论依据和实验指导. 本文考虑热效应、光效应、非线性效应和抽运亮度等因素对光纤激光极限功率的影响, 分析了掺镱和掺铥光纤的极限功率和受限因素. 在此基础上, 结合激光在光纤中单模传输的条件, 计算了单模掺镱和掺铥光纤激光的极限功率. 计算结果表明, 在现有技术条件下, 使用常规的976 nm和793 nm激光二极管抽运, 单模掺镱和掺铥光纤激光的极限功率分别为4.2 kW和7.8 kW, 其中单模掺铥光纤激光的功率水平还远低于它的极限功率的原因是受抽运亮度的限制. 最后分析指出减小纤芯的数值孔径和改进少模光束的光束质量是提升单模光纤激光极限功率的重要途径.     

100W全光纤化高重频窄脉宽光纤激光器

报道了一种基于主振荡功率放大结构工作的全光纤化高重复频率窄脉冲宽度光纤激光器.种子源是一个直接电脉冲调制的1 063 nm光纤耦合输出半导体激光器.为了抑制放大器中产生的放大自发辐射光,将种子激光的脉冲波形调制为二阶超高斯型.峰值功率为950 mW的半导体激光器经过2级大模场掺镱双包层光纤放大器(纤芯分别为10μm和30μm)功率放大后,最终获得了平均功率为101 W、重复频率为200 kHz、脉冲宽度为14.77 ns、峰值功率为34.2 kW、3 dB光谱宽度为0.261 nm、光束质量M~2为1.17的脉冲激光输出.与传统的纳秒级脉冲光纤激光器相比,该激光器峰值功率高、光束质量优、光谱宽度窄、结构简单,可广泛应用于激光雷达、遥感探测、倍频和光参量震荡等领域.     

空气包层大模场面积掺镱光子晶体光纤研究

采用改进的化学气相沉积法和气相液相混合掺杂技术制备大芯径掺镱石英光纤预制棒, 以此作为有源纤芯制备了纤芯直径约90 μm的掺镱双包层光子晶体光纤, 纤芯组分为镱铝磷共掺.双包层光子晶体光纤的模场面积约1330 μm², 纤芯数值孔径0.065,包层数值孔径0.5.首次实现了国产掺镱光子晶体光纤的高功率高效率激光输出, 1 m长的光子晶体光纤激光器实现102 W 激光输出,斜率效率76%.     

简单MOPA结构窄线宽激光突破5 kW近单模输出

高功率窄线宽光纤激光器在非线性频率转换、光谱合成以及相干合成等领域有着重要的应用前景。本文基于自研的复合腔结构窄线宽振荡器作为种子,采用单级主振荡功率放大技术（MOPA）,实现了5 kW高效率的近单模窄谱激光输出。通过优化振荡器的时序特性和放大级结构,受激拉曼散射、光谱展宽和热致模式不稳定效应得到综合抑制。在最高功率时,信号光的3 dB和20 dB线宽分别为0.48 nm和2.1 nm,放大器的斜率效率约为86.1%,拉曼抑制比为28.3 dB,光束质量M2约1.35。本研究工作对于高功率窄线宽光纤激光的发展和研究具有重要的指导意义。     

High-power CO(2) laser with a Gauss-core resonator for high-speed cutting of thin metal sheets

A novel resonator, the Gauss-core resonator, based on a stable resonator configuration designed to yield a highly focusing beam operating in a large-volume TEM(00) mode, is presented. A 6.2 kW linearly polarized output beam with an M(2) factor of 1.7 is obtained experimentally for a high-power cw CO(2) laser. The capability of the Gauss-core resonator to process laser materials is also studied. We can cut 1-mm-thick mild (soft) steel with a maximum cutting speed of 58 m/min at 5.6 kW and 0.2-mm-thick steel 145 m/min at 2.8 kW.     

A high power,widely tunable infrared source based on stimulated electronic Raman scattering in caesium vapour

Dye lasers pumped by the second harmonic of a ruby laser have been used to produce tunable stimulated electronic Raman scattering in caesium vapour. Using three different Raman transitions, the infrared tuning ranges were 2.5–4.75 μm, 5.67–8.65 μm and 11.7–15 μm with powers of up to 25kW, 7 kW and 2 kW respectively.     

高倍聚光太阳模拟器的设计

研究了一种高倍聚光、高均匀性太阳模拟器,它主要由短弧氙灯、椭球聚光镜、高速快门和积分器构成,辐射功率超过5 kW,辐射峰值超过1 800个太阳常数（标准AM1.5∶1太阳常数=1 kW/m2）。介绍了该模拟器的光学设计,主要工程特点和仿真结果。应用蒙特卡洛光线追迹技术优化几何配置,以使光源到目标面的辐射能量转换效率最大化。仿真结果显示：在直径20 mm的圆形目标区域其平均辐射超过1 000 kW/m2,相应的辐照不均匀度小于6%。利用该装置模拟了高倍聚光太阳系统的辐射特性,为研究高效率太阳能电池的热化学过程和测试先进的高温材料提供了实验平台。     

Supercontinuum generation in photonic crystal fiber using femtosecond pulses

Supercontinuum (SC) generation in photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is demonstrated using an amplified femtosecond stretched pulses. The stretched pulse is obtained from a mode-locked Erbium-doped fiber laser and operates at 1564 nm with a repetition rate of 8.27 MHz and a pulse width of 340 fs. Using a 50 m long PCF, broad SC spectra are observed starting from 1220 and 1050 nm for the corresponding 5.1 and 177 kW pump and spanning a wavelength region of more than 1750 nm. At a maximum peak pump power of 177 kW, flat SC which extends over bandwidths of 660 and 486 nm are obtained using 50 and 100 m piece of PCF respectively. However, the output power level is higher for the 100 m PCF especially at longer wavelength region.     

Noncollinear phase-matched four-photon mixing of CO2 laser radiation in germanium

Noncollinear four photon mixing of two TEA CO₂ laser beams in germanium at room temperature has been used to obtain phase-matched generation of step tunable radiation in the 8.7 μm region which is of interest for the uranium isotope separation. Using an 8.3 cm long crystal of germanium, peak output power of ≈10kW (corresponding to 1 mJ per pulse) was obtained at 8.7 μm with 3 MW peak input power from each of the two CO₂ lasers operating at 9.6 μm and 10.6 μm.     

Dust eruptions by photophoresis and solid state greenhouse effects

We carried out experiments that show a gas pressure dependent ability of light to eject particles from a dust bed. Dust eruptions also occur upon removal of the light source. This can be attributed to a solid state greenhouse effect and photophoretic forces. This ejection mechanism works at light intensities larger than 6 kW/m2 but in extreme cases might work as low as 1 kW/m2. It can be applied to sunlit dust on Mars where it aids or triggers dust lift-off from the surface into the atmosphere. It is of importance for dusty bodies at the inner edge of protoplanetary disks where it leads to light induced erosion. The effect also offers a base for technical applications of dust removal in low pressure environments.     

High-peak-power, high-repetition-rate intracavity optical parametric oscillator at 1.57μm

We report a high-peak-power, high-repetition-rate diode-side-pumped Nd:YAG Q-switched intracavity optical parametric oscillator (IOPO) at 1.57μm with a type-Ⅱ non-critically phase-matched x-cut KTP crystal. The average power of 1.15 W at 1.57μm is obtained at 4.3-kHz repetition rate. The peak power of the pulses amounts to 33.4 kW with 8-ns duration. The average conversion efficiency from Q-switched 1.064-μm-wavelength input power to OPO signal output power is up to 10.5%.     

Actively Q-switched and mode-locked Tm3+-doped silicate 2 μm fiber laser for supercontinuum generation in fluoride fiber

A diode-pumped actively Q-switched and actively mode-locked Tm3+-doped double-clad silicate fiber laser is reported providing up to 5 W of average output power at ~60 kHz Q-switch envelope repetition rate and ~8 μJ subpulses with up to 2.4 kW peak power. Using this source as a pump laser for supercontinuum generation in a ZBLAN fiber, over 1080 mW of supercontinuum from 1.9 μm to beyond 3.6 μm was obtained at an overall efficiency of 3.3% with respect to the diode pump power.     

Q-switched thulium-doped photonic crystal fiber laser

We report a novel, Tm-doped photonic crystal fiber (PCF) actively Q-switched oscillator that provides ~8.9 kW peak power with 435 μJ, 49 ns pulses at 10 kHz repetition rate at 2 μm wavelength. This fiber has a mode-field area >1000 μm2, the largest of any flexible PCF providing diffraction-limited beam quality to the best of our knowledge. As an application, the oscillator is used as pump to generate >350 nm broadening in ~50 m of SMF-28 fiber.     

12 W Q-switched Er:ZBLAN fiber laser at 2.8 μm

A diode-pumped, actively Q-switched 2.8 μm fiber laser oscillator with an average output power of more than 12 W has been realized through the use of a 35 μm core erbium-doped ZBLAN fiber and an acousto-optic modulator; to our knowledge, this is the first 3 μm pulsed fiber laser in the 10 W class. Pulse energy up to 100 μJ and pulse duration down to 90 ns, corresponding to a peak power of 0.9 kW, were achieved at a repetition rate of 120 kHz.