High efficiency cw far infrared lasers at 119 μm and 127 μm

The optically pumped FIR laser lines at 119 m from CH₃OH and at 127 m from¹³CD₃OH are known to be the most powerful in the far infrared spectral region. We report on efficiency measurements for our waveguide laser system. The effect of various parameters was investigated, resulting in the highest efficiency ever reported for the 119 m line. The Stark effect and others parameters of the 127 m were measured, and a new¹³CD₃OH laser line at 175 m discovered, with the same pump transition. These measurements are helpful for completing the assignment already proposed for the 127 m line.     

A comparative study of laser tissue interaction at 2.94 μm and 10.6 μm

Laser cutting of gelatin and tissue with Er and CO₂ lasers is explained by combined action of evaporation, ejection of liquid and elastic deformation of the region of radiation impact. It is shown that the ejection mechanism is more pronounced at 2.94 m than at 10.6 m. The use of high speed photography has revealed the influence of the temporal pulse shape. The experimental results are explained by a thermo-mechanical model.     

1.56 μm and 2.86 μm Raman lasers based on gas-filled anti-resonance hollow-core fiber

We report here a single-pass 1.56 μm fiber gas Raman laser in a deuterium-filled hollow-core fiber and a 2.86 μm cascade fiber gas Raman laser with methane in the second stage. The maximum output powers at 1.56 and 2.86 μm are 27 and 8.5 m W with Raman conversion efficiency of 30% and 42%, respectively. The results offer a new method to produce a 1.5 μm fiber source and prove the potential of the cascade fiber gas Raman laser in extending the available wavelength.     

透0.45 μm～1.6 μm反8 μm～12 μm宽光谱分色滤光片的制备

光谱分色滤光片对成像光谱技术至关重要,是实现光电仪器体积小、质量轻的一个重要器件.根据金属膜具有高反射率的特点和可以进行诱增透的原理,介绍了透0.45 μm～1.6 μm反8 μm～12 μm光谱分色滤光片的膜料选择和膜系设计,并应用JGP560A2型磁控溅射镀膜机制备出了光谱性能和理化性能较好的宽光谱分色滤光片,其光谱性能达到0.45 μm～1.6 μm波段范围内,平均透过率大于80%;8 μm～12 μm波段范围内,平均反射率大于91%.     

High peak power 1.0 μm and tri-wavelength 1.3 μm Nd:ScYSiO_5 crystal lasers

With a Nd:ScYSiO_5 crystal, a high peak power electro-optically Q-switched 1.0 μm laser and tri-wavelength laser operations at the 1.3 μm band are both investigated. With a rubidium titanyle phosphate(RTP) electro-optical switcher and a polarization beam splitter, a high signal-to-noise ratio 1.0 μm laser is obtained, generating a shortest pulse width of 30 ns, a highest pulse energy of 0.765 mJ, and a maximum peak power of 25.5 kW,respectively. The laser mode at the highest laser energy level is the TEM200 mode with the Mvalue in the X and Y directions to be M_x~2= 1.52 and M_y~2= 1.54. A tri-wavelength Nd:ScYSiO_5 crystal laser at 1.3 μm is also investigated. A maximum tri-wavelength output power is 1.03 W under the absorbed pump power of7 W, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 14.8%. The properties of the output wavelength are fully studied under different absorbed pump power.     

Actively mode-locked 1.3 and 1.55 μm InGaAsP diode lasers

Active mode-locking of uncoated InGaAsP diode lasers having an external diffraction grating cavity was investigated experimentally. A high frequency r.f. signal and short-duration electrical pulses were used to drive the lasers. The pulse duration was measured by an ultrafast streak camera. Pulses as short as 13 ps at 1.3m and 29 ps at 1.55m were generated at a repetition rate of 1 GHz. The reason for obtaining broader pulses from the 1.55m laser which had the same structure as the 1.3m diode laser is explained.Formerly with GEC Hirst Research Centre, Wembley, Middlesex, UK.     

Picosecond optical switching of a 1.5 μm active birefringent optical fiber loop filter using 1.3 μm control optical pulses and a 1.3 μm semiconductor optical amplifier

Less than 100ps, polarization-independent switching operation of an active birefringent optical fiber loop filter using 1.3 μm control optical pulses as well as a 1.3 μm semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) has been demonstrated. In the proposed SOA-based active birefringent filter operating at 1.55 μm wavelength, 1.3 μm SOA is employed to control the polarization-mode dispersion in the loop part. By injecting 1.3 μm ps gain-switched optical control pulses into the SOA, 1.5 μm input signals can be switched from the transmission port to the reflection port with less than 100 ps rise time.     

Thermal Lensing, Laser Performance at 1.06 μm and 0.53 μm of a NYAB Laser End-pumped by a Diode-laser-array

The thermal lensing, output characteristics of an end-pumped NYAB laser with high pump power levels and operated at the fundamental wavelength, and the manner of self-frequency-doubling, have been investigated. The thermal lensing in the NYAB crystal was found to be significantly stronger than that in Nd:YVO4 crystal. A maximum output of 3.2 W at 1.06 μm was achieved with an optical conversion efficiency of 29.1％ and an average slope efficiency of 37.5％. These results were found to be slightly inferior to those of Nd:YVO4 crystal. When operated in the fashion of selffrequency-doubling, 23 mW green output was obtained at the incident pump power of 5 W, such inefficient operation was attributed to the large mode size in the NYAB crystal.     

Fabrication and Performance of 1.55 μ/m Transmission Glass-Echelon Grating Filters

This paper describes the fabrication method and the measured spectral behavior of a 1.55 μm transmission glass-echelon grating filter. This echelon grating consists of a pile of identical plane-parallel glass plates constructed using a special assembling tool. The experimental result confirmed the accuracy of the Fourier transform which indicated that the spectral passband width was inversely proportional to the beam size. This feature makes it possible to use the filter as a bandpass filter or a comb filter when constructing photonic networks. The echelon filter has certain intrinsic advantages including a low insertion loss and polarization independence. Moreover, it offers good cost performance and excellent design flexibility.     

Thermal Lensing, Laser Performance at 1.06 μm and 0.53 μm of a NYAB Laser End pumped by a Diode laser array

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应用于水下能分辨粒径10 μm～500 μm尾流气泡的成像系统

针对尾流气泡成像存在的难点,采用片光源切片扫描与高速摄影相结合的技术手段,研制了一套水下激光成像系统。该系统采用激光片光照明,避免了尾流区气泡图像层叠;设计了3组倍率可切换镜头,实现了对大动态范围（10 m～500 m）粒径小气泡的成像;将镜头分成前后组,以平行光中继,通过片光与前镜组的同步移动,可实现尾流区一定体积内气泡图像的采样,同时还能保证扫描过程中始终成像清晰。此系统通过在海域进行试验,放置深度为5 m,气泡由目标船产生,产生气泡粒径范围10 m～2 000 m,结果表明,系统成像效果良好,满足项目技术要求。     

All-fiber wavelength-swept laser near 2 μm

We report, for the first time to our knowledge, an all-fiber wavelength-swept Tm-doped laser based on a fiber Fabry-Perot tunable filter in the 2 μm spectral region. The laser wavelength can be continuously tuned over 200 nm from 1840 to 2040 nm in a short period of time. The demonstrated tuning speed was 12.5 μm/s with a tuning efficiency of 17.5 nm/V. The spectral linewidth of the laser was measured to be approximately 300 MHz or 0.01 cm(-1). This kind of laser can find potential applications in both high-resolution laser spectroscopy and tunable mid-IR generation via nonlinear frequency conversion.     

高功率中红外3.8 μm激光器

 采用1.06 μm激光泵浦准相位匹配周期极化铌酸锂（PPMgLN）晶体光参量振荡器,实现高功率高效率高重复频率3.84 μm中红外激光输出。泵浦源为椭圆光斑1.06 μm激光,PPMgLN晶体MgO摩尔分数为5%,光参量振荡器为外腔单谐振结构,采用e→e+e相位匹配,利用了PPMgLN晶体的最大非线性系数。在1.06 μm激光功率为73 W,声光Q开关工作频率为7.5 kHz的条件下,获得平均功率8.3 W,波长3.84 μm激光输出,光-光转换斜率效率14.1％,水平和垂直方向光束质量平方因子分别为1.94,4.57。     

Simultaneous dual-wavelength operation at 1.06 and 1.34 μm in Nd-vanadate laser crystals

Output performances of Nd-vanadate lasers with simultaneous dual-wavelength emission on the 1.06-μm ⁴ F _3/2 → ⁴ I _11/2 transition and the ⁴ F _3/2 → ⁴ I _13/2 transition at 1.34 μm are discussed. The design uses a linear resonator for emission at 1.06 μm and an L-type folded resonator for the 1.34-μm wavelength, and the ratio between the power of a single wavelength and the total power is adjusted by the choice of the output mirror transmissions. A continuous-wave (CW) Nd:GdVO₄ laser with total output power in the range of 3.9 to 6.8 W and the corresponding ratio of the output power at 1.06 μm to the total output power between 0.26 and 0.97 is realized. It is also shown that in comparison with the pump at 808 nm, the pump directly into the ⁴ F _3/2 emitting level at 879 nm improves the total output power. Furthermore, a Nd:GdVO₄ laser with simultaneous emission at 1.06 and 1.34 μm and that generates also green light at 0.53 μm by intracavity frequency-doubling with LiB₃O₅ (LBO) nonlinear crystal is demonstrated.     

Self- and foreign-broadening and shift coefficients for C2H2 lines at 1.54 μm

In this article we present experimental data for line parameters measurements of several transition lines of overtone bands of C₂H₂ at 1540 nm. The measurements were done with a spectrometer based on a semiconductor diode laser and a direct absorption spectroscopy scheme. Broadening and shift coefficients have been measured for the pure gas or in mixtures with N₂, O₂ and CO₂ as perturbing gas. Received 6 November 2000 and Received in final form 13 March 2001     

Intense 2.7 μm and broadband 2.0 μm emission from diode-pumped Er3+/Tm3+/Ho(3+)-doped fluorophosphate glass

This Letter reports intense emission at 2.7 μm and broadband emission at 2.0 μm from Er(3+)/Tm(3+)/Ho(3+)-doped fluorophosphate glass. The fluorescence characteristics and energy transfer upon excitation of a conventional 980 nm laser diode are investigated. Based on the fluorescence spectra and lifetime measurement, the effect of Tm(3+) and Ho(3+) ions on intense 2.7 μm emission in fluorophosphate glass is demonstrated. It is also found that the effective bandwidth of 2.0 μm emission due to Tm(3+) and Ho(3+) ions can reach as high as 196 nm. These results indicate that the advantageous spectroscopic characteristics of Er(3+)/Tm(3+)/Ho(3+) triply doped fluorophosphate glass together with the outstanding thermal properties may become an attractive host for the mid-IR solid state lasers.     

Efficient graphene Q switching and mode locking of 1.34 μm neodymium lasers

We demonstrate that few-layered graphene sheets used as a saturable absorber can provide efficient Q-switching and mode-locking modulation in 1.34 μm Nd:GdVO(4) bulk lasers. The minimum Q-switched pulses were 450 ns for 260 mW average power, 43 kHz repetition rate, and 2.5 μJ pulse energy. For the mode-locked laser, an average power of 1.29 W was achieved with 11 ps pulse duration and 13 nJ pulse energy. To our knowledge, this average power is the highest yet obtained from a graphene mode-locked laser, and the corresponding optical-optical efficiency of 23% is the best result among 1.3 μm neodymium mode-locked lasers. The quality factor M(2) of the Q-switched beam was 1.4 and 1.6 in the horizontal and longitudinal planes, respectively, and the M(2) of the mode-locked beam reached 1.1 and 1.0. These results clearly indicate the advantages of few-layered graphene as a saturable absorber.