Detection of methane in air using diode-laser pumped difference-frequency generation near 3.2 μm

Spectroscopic detection of the methane in natural air using an 800 nm diode laser and a diode-pumped 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser to produce tunable light near 3.2 µm is reported. The lasers were pump sources for ring-cavity-enhanced tunable difference-frequency mixing in AgGaS₂. IR frequency tuning between 3076 and 3183 cm^–1 was performed by crystal rotation and tuning of the extended-cavity diode laser. Feedback stabilization of the IR power reduced intensity noise below the detector noise level. Direct absorption and wavelength-modulation (2f) spectroscopy of the methane in natural air at 10.7 kPa (80 torr) were performed in a 1 m single-pass cell with 1 µW probe power. Methane has also been detected using a 3.2 µm confocal build-up cavity in conjunction with an intracavity absorption cell. The best methane detection limit observed was 12 ppb m (Hz.)^–1/2.     

A widely tunable (5-12.5 μm) continuous-wave mid-infrared laser spectrometer based on difference frequency generation in AgGaS2

A widely tunable (5-12.5 μm) continuous-wave (cw) mid-infrared (mid-IR) laser spectrometer based on difference frequency generation (DFG) by mixing an external-cavity diode laser (ECDL) with a Ti:Sapphire laser in an AgGaS₂ crystal is described. The wide tunability was achieved by tuning laser wavelength associated with crystal angle tuning under type II phase matching condition. A maximum output power of about 66 nW was obtained at 8.06 μm. High resolution spectrum of methane (CH₄) over more than 10 cm⁻¹ near 7.7 μm has been recorded to evaluate the performance of the developed DFG-based mid-IR laser spectrometer.     

External short-cavity diode-laser for MIR difference-frequency generation

A compact mid-infrared (MIR) laser system is described applying two single mode diode-lasers as pump and signal sources to generate difference-frequency radiation in AgGaS₂. A spectral tuning range of 71.5 cm^-1 between 4.9–5.1 m with an output power of 100 nW and linewidth of 1.2×10^-2 cm^-1 (3.6 GHz) for the DFG laser system is obtained by mode behavior improvement of the pump source using an external short-cavity. The performance of such an external short-cavity MIR-DFG laser spectrometer is demonstrated by recording the fundamental absorption spectra of carbon monoxide (¹²C¹⁶O) and nitric oxide (¹⁴N¹⁶O) in a 10 cm long cell in order to estimate line-broadening coefficients of CO and NO molecules, which are of general interest in combustion diagnostics . PACS 32.20.-t; 33.20.Ea; 42.60-v; 42.60.Fc; 42.62.-b; 42.62.Fi; 42.68.-w; 42.68.Ca; 42.72.-g; 42.72.Ai     

Generation of tunable picosecond pulses in the medium infrared by down-conversion in AgGaS2

Picosecond pulses from a mode-locked Nd:YAG laser and a traveling-wave dye laser are mixed in an AgGaS₂ crystal to generate pulses at the difference frequency. The dye laser is tunable between 1200 nm and 1460 nm resulting in a tuning range of the parametric pulses from 3.9 μm to 9.4 μm. The spectral bandwidth is quite narrow. A value of Δ?=6.5 cm^-1 was measured which is constant over the whole tuning range. Several percent of the Nd:YAG laser photons are converted to infrared photons. Pump pulses of 21 ps give parametric pulses of 8 ps.     

IR absorption measurements and new FIR emission lines in CH3OH by use of a frequency-tunable CW waveguide CO2 laser

The IR absorption in CH₃OH in the vicinity of CO₂ laser lines has been measured quantitatively by use of a 300 MHz tunable waveguide CO₂ laser with output powers of about 3 W. Information on frequency offsets from the CO₂ line centers, small signal and saturated absorption coefficients of FIR laser pump transitions is obtained. Some stronger pump transitions with frequency offsets larger than 50 MHz gave rise to the observation of 8 new FIR emission lines with wavelengths from 43 to 125 μm.     

Investigation of the pump wavelength influence on pulsed laser pumped Alexandrite lasers

Recent theoretical modelling and experimental results have shown that excess lattice phonon energy created dur ing the non-radiative energy transfer from the ⁴T₂ pump manifold to the ²E storage level in Alexandrite when pumped with wavelengths shorter than ∼645 nm causes chaotic lasing output. Shorter pump wavelengths have also been associated with increased non-radiative energy decay and reduced laser efficiency. We report studies of fluorescence emission spectra of Alexandrite illuminated at a range of wavelengths from green to red, which demonstrate reduced fluorescence yield for shorter pump wavelengths at elevated crystal temperatures. Investigations of pulsed laser pumping of Alexandrite over the same spectral range demonstrated reduced pump threshold energy for longer pump wavelengths. High repetition rate pulsed pumping of Alexandrite at 532, 578 and 671 nm showed stable and efficient laser performance was only achieved for red pumping at 671 nm. These results support the theoretical model and demonstrate the potential for scalable, red laser pumped, all-solid-state Alexandrite lasers.PACS 42.60.Lh; 42.60.Mi     

Tunable single-mode pulsed Ti3+:Sapphire laser injection-seeded by a continuous-wave Cr3+:LiSrAlF6 laser

Spectrally pure high-power tunable single-mode operation of a pulsed Ti³⁺:sapphire laser by a tunable injection-seeding is reported. The injection laser was a cw diode laser pumped, spectrally narrowed tunable Cr³⁺:LiSrAlF₆ (Cr³⁺:LiSAF) laser with a grating in the auxiliary cavity. Single-mode tunable operation of a pulsed Ti³⁺: sapphire ring oscillator was obtained at different wavelengths in the range between 818 nm and 848 nm with a typical linewidth of 0.006 cm^-1. To extend the applicability of this operation to a differential absorption lidar system, the single-mode Ti³⁺:sapphire oscillator output was amplified and a high energy output of 38 mJ was obtained with the same linewidth.     

Electro-optic tuning of a periodically poled LiNbO3 optical parametric oscillator and mixing its output waves to generate mid-IR tunable from 9.4 to 10.5 μm

We demonstrate electro-optic spectral tuning in a pulsed periodically poled LiNbO₃ (PPLN) optical parametric oscillator (OPO) in ns regime. A 3-cm-long LiNbO₃ crystal is segmented in three equal sections; the outer sections are periodically poled. The center segment is of single domain whose refractive index is changed by electro-optic effect. Applying voltage from 0 to −5000 V, the OPO signal and idler waves are tuned from 1.932 to 1.912 μm and 2.368 to 2.40 μm, respectively. The signal and idler waves obtained are difference-frequency-mixed in a 10 mm long AgGaS₂ crystal to produce mid-IR tunable from ∼10.5 to ∼9.4 μm, which matches the tuning range of a CO₂ laser.     

Influence of pump wavelength on the laser performance of Yb:KLu(WO4)2 crystal

By employing a tunable Ti:sapphire laser, we conducted an investigation into the effects of pump wavelength deviation on the laser performance of Yb:KLu(WO₄)₂ crystal. Pumping efficiencies exceeding 70% could be reached under lasing conditions with a 3-mm crystal of Yb concentration of 5.24 at.%, when the pumping wavelength was within the main absorption band centered at 981 nm extending from 974 to 990 nm. For different pumping wavelengths, the laser exhibited a single output–input relation with respect to absorbed pump power, giving an average slope efficiency amounting to 51%.     

Mid-infrared pulse generation using a sub-picosecond OPO

We describe a synchronously pumped LBO parametric oscillator pumped by a cw mode-locked Ti:Sapphire laser. We demonstrate the synchronization between the pump pulses and the signal pulses by measuring a 100 fs cross correlation. We then generate pulses tunable from 2.6 to 5.3 µm by mixing the signal and idler pulses in an AgGaS₂ crystal and obtain as much as 400 µW of average power.     

Tunable single and multiwavelength continuous-wave c-cut Nd:YVO4 laser

We report a discretely tunable, single and multiwavelength continuous-wave diode-end-pumped laser with a c-cut Nd:YVO₄ crystal lasing on the ⁴F_3/2?C⁴I_11/2 intermanifold transitions and an intracavity sub-THz free-spectral-range etalon. Experimental results show that it is tunable in the discrete regions of 1066.5?C1066.8, 1083.1?C1084.6, and 1087.2?C1088.2?nm and operates simultaneously at dual-wavelengths of (1084.6, 1087.4), (1066.5, 1088.0), (1066.8, 1083.3) nm by changing the angle of an intracavity etalon with 0.67 THz free-spectral range. With a proper etalon angle, the laser can also simultaneously oscillate at four wavelengths of 1066.9, 1082.9, 1085.7, and 1088.3?nm with a total output power of 1.2?W at an incident diode pump power of 15?W. Similar performance of the laser at different wavelengths was also achieved by using a 0.88?THz free-spectral-range etalon in the same laser cavity.     

Compact tunable mid-infrared laser source by difference frequency generation of two diode-lasers

Two continuous-wave single mode diode-lasers (Hitachi HL 7851G and Toshiba TOLD 9150) are applied as signal and pump sources for difference frequency generation (DFG) in an AgGaS2 crystal with a length of 30 mm. For 90° type I phase matching tunable mid-infrared laser radiation around 5 µm is obtained with an output power of up toP _DFG = 0.2 µW while the diode lasers are operated with powers of 30 and 50 mW at the center wavelengths 682 and 791 nm, respectively. The performance of the diode-laser-DFG system is shown as the absorption spectrum of CO for the P(28) rotational line around 2023 cm^–1 is probed in a 10cm long cell and in the exhaust of an engine.This research was supported by the Technologiestiftung Schleswig-Holstein under contract 94-35i.     

Nonlinear optical laser devices using GaSe

Tunable second-harmonic generation of CO₂ laser radiation and tunable upconversion of infrared radiation from CO₂-laser radiation in a GaSe crystal are demonstrated. The capability of low infrared-signal detection in this crystal is also explored and compared with the AgGaS₂ crystal.     

Difference-frequency generation by mixing dual-wavelength pulses emitting from an electronically tuned Ti:sapphire laser

Broadly tunable difference-frequency generation (DFG) in AgGaS₂ was achieved by mixing dual-wavelength oscillating pulses from an electronically tuned Ti:sapphire laser with a two-frequency-driven acousto-optic device. Continuous tuning from 6.5 to 8.5 μm was achieved by simultaneous dual-wavelength-tuned DFG without crystal rotation. In the dual-pulse oscillation, the shorter and longer wavelength pulses were tuned from 700 to 775 nm and from 763 to 880 nm, respectively, while keeping the phase-matching relationship for DFG. When crystal rotation was adopted, however, the tunable output range was extended from 5.3 to 12 μm by tuning the longer wavelength pump pulse, while the shorter wavelength pulse was fixed. Received: 18 November 1998 / Revised version: 5 February 1999 / Published online: 26 May 1999     

Yb3+:Gd2SiO5晶体的结构和光谱性能

采用提拉法成功生长尺寸为φ30 mm× 75 mm的15at.%Yb³⁺:Gd₂SiO₅单晶, 并用Reitveld全谱拟合方法确定了其晶格常数、原子坐标和温度因子等参数. 用吸收光谱计算了Yb³⁺离子²F_7/2↔ ²F_5/2能级跃迁的振子强度、谱线强度、跃迁概率、 能级寿命和积分发射截面等光谱参数, 并根据激光性能评估得出结论: 表明该晶体具有较大的阈值特性, 有望采用大功率激光二极管泵浦实现可调谐或超快激光输出.     

Laser induced infrared fluorescence of Cs2 and Rb2

Laser induced cross fluorescence of Cs₂ and Rb₂ molecules in the infrared region (1.0–1.6 μm) has been observed using several exciting wavelengths from an argon-ion laser and a tunable cw dye laser. New emission bands have been observed. The lower states of these bands have gerade symmetry and therefore have heretofore escaped observation by conventional absorption spectroscopy.     

Kinetics of generation, relaxation, and accumulation of electronic excitations under two-photon interband picosecond absorption in tungstate and molibdate crystals

Under two-photon 523.5 nm interband picosecond laser excitation, we measured the kinetics of induced absorption in PbWO₄, ZnWO₄, and PbMoO₄ crystals with 532 to 633 nm continuous probe radiation. We obtained real-time information about the dynamics of the generation, relaxation, and accumulations of electronic excitations over a wide time range (from picoseconds to hundreds of seconds) and the 77–300 K temperature range. For the studied crystals, exponential temperature-independent growth of the induced absorption (IA) with 60 ns rise time reflects the dynamics of the generation of electronic excitation. The kinetics of the IA exponential growth with temperature-dependent 3.5–11 μs time constants reflect the dynamics of energy migration between neighboring tungstate (molibdate) ions to traps for the studied crystals. The multiexponential relaxation absorption kinetics strongly depend on temperature, and the relaxation decay time of induced absorption increased from tens to hundreds of milliseconds to seconds under crystal cooling from 300 to 77 K. We found that the increase in the laser pump repetition rate (0–10 Hz) leads to the accumulation of electronic excitations. Control of the repetition rate and the number of excitations allowed us to change the relaxation time of the induced absorption by more than two orders of magnitude. Due to accumulation of excitations at 77 K, the absorption relaxation time can exceed 100 s for PbWO₄ and PbMoO₄ crystals. In the initially transparent crystals, two-photon interband absorption (2PA) leads to crystals opacity at the 523 and 633 nm wavelengths. (An inverse optical transmission of the crystals exceeds 50–55 at a 50–100 GW/cm² pump intensity.) Measured at ～1 mW probe radiation of 532 and 633 nm wavelengths, the induced absorption values are comparable with those obtained under two-photon absorption at ～5 kW pump power. An optical 2PA shutter for the visible spectral range is proposed with a variable shutting time from hundreds of microseconds to tens of seconds.     

3–5 μm AgGaS2 optical parametric oscillator with prism cavity

Employing a coated right-angled sapphire prism as the OPO cavity mirror, AgGaS₂ type-I singly resonant optical parametric oscillator was demonstrated experimentally, which was pumped by a ns 1.064 μm Nd:YAG laser. Continuously tunable 2.35 to 5.27 μm radiation without changing cavity mirrors and maximum output energy 0.58 mJ per pulse are recorded.     

Mid-infrared trace gas detection using continuous-wave difference frequency generation in periodically poled RbTiOAsO4

A tunable mid-infrared continuous-wave (cw) spectroscopic source in the 3.4–4.5 μm region is reported, based on difference frequency generation (DFG) in a quasi-phase-matched periodically poled RbTiOAsO₄ (PPRTA) crystal, DFG power levels of 10 μW were generated at approximately 4 μm in a 20-mm long PPRTA crystal by mixing two cw single-frequency Ti:Al₂O₃ lasers operating near 713 nm and 871 nm, respectively, using a laser pump power of 300 mW. A quasi-phase-matched infrared wavelength-tuning bandwidth (FWHM) of ∼12 cm^-1 and a temperature tuning rate of 1.02 cm^-1/°C were achieved. Experimental details regarding the feasibility of trace gas detection based on absorption spectroscopy of CO₂ in ambient air using this DFG radiation source are also described. Received: 23 October 2000 / Revised version: 22 January 2001 / Published online: 27 April 2001     

Spectroscopic and laser properties of Nd:Gd0.8La0.2VO4 crystal

The polarised absorption and fluorescence spectra of Nd:Gd_0.8La_0.2VO₄ crystal are measured and compared to those of Nd:GdVO₄. CW laser properties of diode-pumped Nd:Gd_0.8La_0.2VO₄ crystal operating at fundamental wavelengths of 1.06 and 1.34 μm, as well as when intracavity frequency-doubled to 532 and 670 nm, have been studied. The maximum output powers at 1.06 μm, 1.34 μm, 532 nm and 670 nm are 1.18 W, 671 mW, 206 mW and 42 mW respectively, at a diode-launched pump power of 2.9 W. The threshold pump powers are 80, 267, 7 and 15 mW respectively.