Generation of a radially polarized laser beam by use of the birefringence of a c-cut Nd:YVO4 crystal

We demonstrated the generation of a radially polarized laser beam from an extremely simple laser resonator including a c-cut Nd:YVO4 crystal as a laser medium. The oscillation in the radial polarization was based on the optical path difference between an extraordinary ray and an ordinary ray induced by the birefringence of the crystal. By simply adjusting the distance between two cavity mirrors, only the extraordinary ray became stable for the oscillation, resulting in the generation of a radially polarized beam. The beam was very stable even at low power output and is expected to be a promising radially polarized laser source because of its excellent simplicity.     

Simultaneous generation of helical beams with linear and radial polarization by use of a segmented half-wave plate

Simultaneous generation of helical beams with linear and radial polarization is demonstrated by use of a segmented half-wave plate in a Ti:sapphire laser cavity. A linearly polarized Laguerre-Gaussian beam is converted to a radially polarized beam with a spiral phase shift and vice versa. In addition, these two beams coexist in the cavity, and the cavity emits one of these two beams from an output coupler.     

Radially polarized laser beam from a Nd:YAG laser cavity with a c-cut YVO4 crystal

We demonstrate the generation of a radially polarized beam by simply inserting an undoped c-cut YVO₄ crystal into a Nd:YAG laser cavity. In a hemispherical cavity, the cylindrically symmetric, positive birefringence of the YVO₄ crystal extends the stability limit of the cavity length for an extraordinary ray (radial polarization) compared to an ordinary one (azimuthal polarization). By adjusting the cavity length, a radially polarized beam with an output power up to 1 W was selectively obtained. In addition, a higher-order transverse mode was also generated by arranging the cavity design. The method demonstrated in this paper can be readily applied to laser systems with an isotropic laser medium. PACS 42.60.Da; 42.25.Lc; 42.25.Ja     

飞秒紫外激光脉冲振荡的实验研究

本文讨论了采用空间光脉冲光谱的啁啾特性和选择聚焦透镜焦距相结合的技术大大提高二次谐波转换效率和产生紫外飞秒光脉冲的实验研究.采用一类相位匹配的BBO晶体,当飞秒钛宝石光脉冲平均功率为560mW时,二次谐波输出功率为352mW,二次谐波转换效率高达63%;采用一类相位匹配的LBO晶体时,获得高光束质量的倍频蓝光输出,输出平均功率为170mW,转换效率大于30%.运用LBO倍频产生的蓝光脉冲和剩余的基频光脉冲进行了三次谐波的振荡研究.三倍频晶体采用BBO,通过优化设计倍频光与基频光之间的空间模匹配及精确时间延迟,得到飞秒紫外光输出,输出功率为2mW,中心波长约为280nm,重复率为100MHz.     

Femtosecond pulse laser-induced self-organized nanostructures on the surface of ZnO crystal

This paper reports self-organized nanostructures observed on the surface of ZnO crystal after irradiation by a focused beam of a femtosecond Ti：sapphire laser with a repetition rate of 250kHz. For a linearly polarized femtosecond laser, the periodic nanograting structure on the ablation crater surface was promoted. The period of self-organization structures is about 180 nm. The grating orientation is adjusted by the laser polarization direction. A long range Bragglike grating is formed by moving the sample at a speed of 10μm/s. For a circularly polarized laser beam, uniform spherical nanoparticles were formed as a result of Coulomb explosion during the interaction of near-infrared laser with ZnO crystal.     

飞秒激光诱导硒化锌晶体表面自组织生长纳米结构

 以250 kHz高重复频率钛宝石飞秒激光聚焦到硒化锌晶体表面,利用扫描电子显微镜观测飞秒激光辐照后晶体的表面结构。发现线偏振激光辐照的区域形成了自组织周期性纳米结构,其周期为160 nm左右,并且可以通过改变激光的偏振方向调节纳米光栅结构的取向;当晶体相对于激光光束以10 mm/s速度移动,经激光扫描后,在晶体表面形成了长程类布拉格光栅。当飞秒激光光束为圆偏振光时,辐照区域形成均匀的纳米颗粒。     

高效连续波钛宝石激光器的优化设计及实验研究

运用ABCD律及自再现条件对钛宝石线性腔的折叠角进行了优化,从而大大提高了钛宝石晶体中光束束腰的耦合效率同时实验上对连续钛宝石激光器进行了研究,采用20mm长的钛宝石晶体和10%输出耦合镜,并运用优化后的折叠角,最终用全线氩离子激光器泵浦的连续波钛宝石激光器的斜率效率高达34.2%,在泵浦功率为7.7W下,连续钛宝石激光器输出功率达1.89W.     

大口径掺钛蓝宝石晶体放大的实验研究

 分析了口径为80 mm的钛宝石晶体内的增益特性,对大口径钛宝石晶体中的泵浦光能量密度和泵浦光口径进行了优化设计。对于80 mm×17 mm的晶体,最佳工作光束口径为55 mm,泵浦能量为50 J;对于80 mm×30 mm的晶体,最佳工作光束口径为60 mm,泵浦能量为90 J,且其横向小信号增益远小于80 mm×17 mm晶体的。对影响大口径钛宝石晶体放大的横向放大自发辐射（ASE）和寄生振荡采用折射率匹配的包边技术进行了抑制。实验表明,该方法把允许横向增益从13提高到了2 100。实验系统为100 J绿光台面泵浦激光器,100 TW主放大器采用四程空间构型放大光路。80 mm×17 mm钛宝石晶体c轴水平放置,泵浦光和主激光均为水平偏振。当以泵浦光能量为49 J对主放大器进行双端泵浦,注入信号光能量为1.2 J,光束口径60 mm时,获得了14.2 J的放大光输出和286 TW的最高峰值功率。     

Generation of vacuum-ultraviolet light by an optically contacted,prism-coupled KBe2BO3F2 crystal

We have demonstrated the second harmonic of a frequency-tripled Nd:YVO4 laser with 2.5-mW quasi-cw output by using an optically contacted, prism-coupled KBe2BO3F2 crystal. We also achieved the second harmonic with a frequency-doubled single-mode Ti:sapphire laser at 172.5 nm and sum-frequency mixing with a dual-wavelength Ti:sapphire laser at 163.3 nm. These wavelengths are to our knowledge the shortest obtained by use of nonlinear crystals for second-harmonic generation and sum-frequency mixing, respectively.     

Tunable solid state UV laser

A tunable Ti:sapphire laser pumped by an intracavity frequency-doubled YAG laser was designed, and third-harmonic generation of the tunable Ti:sapphire laser was achieved by rotating the cardinal plane of the crystal through a multi-crystal cascade method. The parameters such as crystal length, time predelay, and intensity ratio related to the efficiency of third-harmonic generation are analyzed by nonlinear equations.     

平顶高斯光束的相关概念和对称化变换

对平顶高斯光束有关的一些重要概念,例如场分布和束宽等作了物理分析。进一步将二维平顶高斯光束推广到三维情况,并且对三维平顶高斯光束的对称化变换,包括在X和Y方向束宽相等和ｚ平面处曲率半径相等,进行了详细的研究。     

Efficient collinear frequency tripling of femtosecond laser with compensation of group velocity delay

This paper demonstrates an approach that negative uniaxial crystal has a relative anomalous dispersion effect which can compensate group velocity delay, and applies this approach to nonlinear frequency conversion of an ultrafast laser field. High efficiency of the third harmonic generation is experimentally fulfilled by adopting a collinear configuration of doubing-compensation-tripling system. Through finely adjusting the incident angle and optical axis direction of the compensation plate, it obtains ultraviolet (UV) output energy of 0.32~mJ centered at 270~nm with spectral bandwidth of 2~nm when input beam at 800~nm was 70~fs pulse duration and 6~mJ pulse energy which was extracted from Ti:sapphire laser system by a diaphragm, corresponding to an 800-to-270~nm conversion efficiency of 5.3% and a factor-of-1.6 improvement in the third harmonic generation of UV band in comparison with a general conventional configuration. Furthermore, when the full energy of 18~mJ from a Ti:sapphire laser system was used and optimized, the UV emission could reach 0.83~mJ.     

Ti:sapphire laser intracavity difference-frequency generation of 30 mW cw radiation around 4.5 μm

A cw mid-IR coherent source based on difference-frequency generation is designed and characterized. For mid-IR generation, a periodically poled MgO:LiNbO(3) crystal is placed inside a compact Ti:sapphire laser cavity. This provides high-power pump radiation for the nonlinear process. Optical injection by an external-cavity diode laser ensures single-frequency operation of the Ti:sapphire laser, while signal radiation is provided by a fiber-amplified Nd:YAG laser. Mid-IR radiation can be generated with 3850-4540 nm tuning range, narrow linewidth, Cs-standard traceability, and TEM(00) spatial mode. 30 mW power is obtained at 4510 nm.     

Phase-matched self-doubling optical parametric oscillator

We report a synchronously pumped intracavity frequency-doubled optical parametric oscillator that employs a single KTiOPO(4) crystal for both parametric generation and frequency doubling. Both nonlinear processes are phase matched for the same direction of propagation in the crystal. The parametric oscillator, pumped by a femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser at a wavelength of 745 nm, generates a green output beam at 540 nm with a 29% power conversion efficiency. Angle tuning in conjunction with pump wavelength tuning provides output tunability in the 530-585-nm range.     

CONTINUOUS-WAVE LASER OSCILLATION OF Yb:FAP CRYSTALS AT A WAVELENGTH OF 1043nm

A continuous-wave laser oscillation was demonstrated with a Yb-doped fluorapatite (FAP) crystal pumped with a 905 nm Ti:sapphire laser. The output characteristics for different output couplers were investigated. A maximum power of 67mW at a 1043nm wavelength was obtained with 10% output coupler, pumped by a Ti:sapphire laser with 910mW power. This corresponds to a slope efficiency of 26.5%.     

Design and demonstration of a high-energy booster amplifier for a high-repetition rate petawatt class laser system

We have successfully developed a high-energy, high-repetition rate Ti:sapphire laser system that delivers 33 J before compression at 0.1 Hz. The final booster amplifier is based on a 100 mm diameter Ti:sapphire crystal pumped with 72 J of energy in six beams delivered by three frequency-doubled high-repetition rate Nd:glass lasers. This system is, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstrated petawatt class laser system running at a high repetition rate.     

All-solid-state Yb:KYW-LBO blue-green laser at 500 nm

It is reported that efficient continuous-wave (CW) blue-green laser generation at 500 nm in a LBO crystal at type-I phase matching direction performed with a Ti:sapphire laser-pumped Yb:KYW laser. With incident pump power of 8.7 W, output power of 138 mW at 500 nm has been obtained using a 10 mm-long LBO crystal. At the output power level of 138 mW, the blue-green output stability is better than 2.8%. The blue-green beam quality M ² values were equal to 1.25 and 1.18 in X and Y directions, respectively.     

Highly efficient second-harmonic nanosource for near-field optics and microscopy

A nanometric source of second-harmonic (SH) light with unprecedented efficiency is demonstrated; it exploits the grazing-incidence illumination of a metal tip, which is conventionally used for atomic force microscopy, by 25-fs laser pulses of a high-energy Ti:sapphire oscillator. Tip scanning around the beam focus shows that the SH generation is strongly localized at its apex. The polarization dependence of the SH light complies with the model of an on-axis nonlinear oscillating dipole.     

Second-harmonic generation from a KBe(2) BO(3)F(2) crystal in the deep ultraviolet

By use of KBe(2)BO(3)F(2) (KBBF) crystal with a size of 10 mmx10 mm x1.2 mm and a special prism-coupling technique (PCT), fourth-harmonic generation of Ti:sapphire laser systems from 200 to 179.4 nm has been achieved. Moreover, with a Ti:sapphire laser with a 50-fs pulse duration and a 1-kHz repetition rate, conversion efficiency as high as 13% from 400 to 200 nm without any surface-loss correction has also been obtained. The data show that with the PCT a KBBF crystal can produce deep-UV coherent light with measurable power output.     

Second-harmonic generation in He+-implanted gadolinium calcium oxoborate planar waveguides

What is believed to be the first investigation of second-harmonic generation (SHG) in Ca(4)GdO (BO(3))(3) waveguides is reported. A planar waveguide was formed by 2-MeV-helium implantation. We cut the sample to achieve type I noncritical phase matching of an 823-nm fundamental wave for fundamental light propagating along the y axis and polarized along the z crystallophysic axis of the crystal. SHG was achieved with a relatively low pumping power of a cw Ti:sapphire laser. The results indicate that the nonlinearity of the material remains in the guiding region after ion implantation.