Optically pumped high-pressure DF-CO2 transfer laser

Pulsed sealed off CO₂ laser operation at 19 atm gas pressure has been demonstrated by pumping DF/CO₂/He mixtures with radiation from a pulsed DF laser. DF acts as an absorber for the pumping radiation, and the CO₂ upper laser level is populated via subsequent energy transfer. CO₂ pulse energy at 19 atm was 0.5 mJ corresponding to a photon conversion efficiency of 4% measured relative to the number of absorbed pumping photons.     

Two-photon pumping of random lasers by picosecond and nanosecond lasers

We experimentally demonstrated two-photon pumping of random lasers using picosecond and nanosecond pump lasers. The picosecond laser pumping experiment was performed with 400 ps laser pulses at 770 nm, and the gain media was a Coumarin 480D dye solution doped with TiO₂ nanoparticles. Onset of laser action was observed at a pump laser pulse energy below 500 μJ. The nanosecond laser pumping experiment was performed with 7 ns laser pulses at 1064 nm, and the gain media was a Rhodamine 640 dye solution doped with TiO₂ nanoparticles. Onset of laser action was observed at a pump laser energy ∼18 mJ. Our results suggest that there exists an optimal pulse duration of the pumping laser in two-photon pumped random lasing that leads to minimum photodamage of the gain media and still keeps a high pumping efficiency. PACS 33.50.Dq; 42.55.Mv; 42.55.Zz     

Efficient pulse operation of Nd:GdVO4 laser with AO Q-switch

We realized an efficient laser diode-pumped Nd:GdVO₄ laser with crystals grown by the floating zone method. In the lasing experiment, a slope efficiency of 78% was achieved with a 1 at.% Nd-doped crystal by pumping at 879 nm. Furthermore, excellent pulsed laser operation was demonstrated with the Nd:GdVO₄ crystal by using an acousto-optical (AO) Q-switch. A pulse width of 7 ns was observed when the pulse-repetition frequency was 40 kHz. It is the shortest pulse width recorded in the case of the AO Q-switched Nd:GdVO₄ laser.     

A laser-diode-pumped acoustic-optic Q-switched Nd:YVO4 slab laser with a hybrid resonator

A 32.1 W laser-diode-stack pumped acoustic-optic Q-switched Nd:YVO₄ slab laser with hybrid resonator at 1064 nm was demonstrated with the pumping power of 112 W and repetition rate of 40 kHz, the pulse duration was 32.47 ns. The slope efficiency and optical-to-optical efficiency were 37 and 28.7%, respectively. At the repetition rate of 20 kHz and pumping power of 90 W, the average output power and pulse duration were 20.4 W and 20.43 ns, respectively. With the pumping power of 112 W, the beam quality M² factors in CW operation were measured to be 1.3 in stable direction and 1.6 in unstable direction.     

基于光放大的长脉冲抽运太赫兹激光

为了获得较窄增益带宽、较大光强的太赫兹辐射,尝试了利用TEA CO₂激光器对6 W可调谐连续波CO₂种子激光实行双程光放大实验,以期望获得长脉冲、高峰值功率的抽运光.通过实验,获得了大约30倍的放大系数,放大光输出功率随种子光注入功率的增加而增加,其中10 P （20）支线表现更加突出,并且被放大的激光支线半峰全宽在14 μs左右.基于这种长脉冲抽运源,建立了一种产生脉冲太赫兹的动力学模型,给出了产生太赫兹辐射的饱和抽运光强表达式,确定了抽运光的光强范围.另外, 关键词： 激光物理 长脉冲 动力学模型 太赫兹激光     

Pulsed and cw Cr,Tm:YAG laser with simultaneous diode and flashlamp excitation

A Cr,Tm:YAG laser, under simultaneous flashlamp and diode laser excitation, was demonstrated. With respect to diode pumping a cw-output power of 35 W with a slope efficiency of 20% was achieved. With flashlamp excitation pulse energies up to 465 mJ were realised. This operation was supported by simultaneous diode pumping to bring the laser close to threshold. Repetition rates up to 10 Hz were demonstrated with this simultaneous pumping mode of the Cr,Tm:YAG laser crystal.     

A stable 10 kHz–1.3 MHz high repetition rate continuously controllable AO Q-switched Nd:YVO4 laser

A stable AO Q-switched Nd:YVO₄ laser using diode-end-pumped structure is presented. By optimizing laser crystal, pumping laser and controlling electric parameters to eliminate thermal lens difference, this AO Q-switched laser can reach 1.3 MHz repetition rate and achieve stable pulse in large range from 10 kHz continuously to 1.3 MHz. The important relationship between repetition rate and electric parameters, including pumping current, duty cycle of electric pulse, are also presented. Output average power and pulse width at 1.3 MHz are 4 W and 35 ns, respectively.     

Improvement in the laser performances of an A-O Q-switched Nd:GdVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> laser by direct-diode pumping into the emitting level

The laser performances of an A-O Q-switched Nd:GdVO₄ laser are demonstrated under LD pumping at 808 and 879 nm, respectively. Results indicate that the pulse performances are improved markedly under 879-nm LD direct pumping. At a repetition rate of 100 kHz, a maximum average output power of 12.1 W, a pulse width of 20.3 ns, and a peak power of about 6 kW are reached under 879-nm pumping.     

High-power high-repetition-rate acousto-optically Q-switched 1342 nm laser

A high-power high-repetition-rate acousto-optically Q-switched 1342 nm laser with double Nd:YVO₄ crystals pumped by fiber-coupled laser diodes is presented. The highest output power of 13.7 W was achieved with a total of 42 W pumping power in cw operation, the slope efficiency was measured as 36%, and the optical efficiency was better than 32%. In Q-switchedoperation, the highest pulse repetition rate of 100 kHz was obtained. At 50 kHz repetition rate, the laser exported 11.2 W average output power, with 60 ns average pulse width, ∼5% width stability (RMS) and ∼8% peak-power stability (RMS). At 10 kHz repetition rate, the highest average output power was measured as 6.3 W, single pulse energy was calculated as 0.63 mJ, with pulse width of 19 ns and peak-power higher than 30 kW. Combining the experimental results, we analyze and discuss some problems concerning Nd:YVO₄ crystal working at 1,342 nm wavelength. PACS 42.55.-f; 42.55.Xi; 42.60.Gd     

Generation of tunable picosecond pulses in a simple distributed feedback dye laser under N2-laser pumping

Simple possibility of single tunable picosecond pulse generation in a conventional inexpensive distributed feedback dye laser (DFDL) is demonstrated. It is shown that when a TEA N₂-laser is used for pumping no diffraction grating is necessary in the DFDL optical scheme for operation in the picosecond regime. Hence wide-range spectral tuning from 357 to 665 nm was easily achieved. When pumped with a 0.6 ns 40 kW pulse of the TEA N₂-laser the DFDL generated pulses as short as 7 ps with time-bandwidth product better than 0.6 and peak power ? 10 kW. At a repetition rate of 50 pps the shot-to-shot energy stability of a single picosecond pulse was ±18% at ±7% stability of the TEA N₂-laser.     

Fir laser emissions from population inversion transition by TEA-CO2 laser pumping

In this paper, the numerical analysis is given which is applicable for a TEA-CO₂ laser pumping in search of effective pumping method.The analysis also can estimate the optimum pressure for a given molecule and a given pulse laser.Also we report in this work many FIR laser emissions from population inversion transition which have never observed before using a TEA-CO₂ laser.     

Effect of prepulse laser wavelength on EUV emission from CO2 reheated laser-produced Sn plasma

We investigated the role of prepulse laser wavelength on extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) emission and ionic debris generation. A 6 ns Nd:YAG laser operating at 266 nm was used to generate a pre-plasma that was then reheated by a 35 ns CO₂ laser pumping pulse at 10.6 μm. At an ideal delay time, improvement in EUV conversion efficiency (CE) of up to 30 % was seen compared to the CE from the pumping pulse alone. It was also shown that the most probable Sn ion kinetic energies were reduced significantly with the use of a prepulse, however, ion fluence increased. These results were compared to those obtained using a 1064 nm prepulse.     

Parametric oscillation of high-power 3-THz pulse by synchronously pumped ZnGeP<Subscript>2</Subscript> crystal: Computer simulation

Possible parametric oscillation of 3-THz pulse at synchronous pumping of the ZnGeP₂ crystal by a train of short second-harmonic pulses from the CO₂ laser has been analyzed. Calculation shows that at changing laser pulse duration τ between 4 and 500 ps and correspondingly pumping energy density (0.5–3.5 J cm⁻²) THz pulse peak power varies from 3 to 70MW with maximum at τ =9 ps.     

Diode-pumped Q-switched Nd:Y<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Lu<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>VO<Subscript>4</Subscript> laser double-modulated with an acousto-optic modulator and Cr<Superscript>4+</Superscript>:YAG saturable absorber

A diode pumped Nd:Y_0.5Lu_0.5VO₄ pulse laser modulated with an acousto-optic (AO) Q-switcher and Cr⁴⁺:YAG saturable absorber is first demonstrated in this paper. The laser is shown to generate shorter pulse width than AO Q-switched laser alone, and have a higher peak power and single pulse energy than passively Q-switched laser with only Cr⁴⁺:YAG. A laser pulse width of 6.16 ns and a peak power of about 43.83 kW are achieved at the incident pumping power of 14.09 W.     

Diode-pumped Nd:BaY2F8 picosecond laser

Picosecond pulse generation at 1050 nm by a diode-pumped Nd:BaY₂F₈ (Nd:BaYF) active crystal has been investigated under low-power pumping (440 mW absorbed). The sample was oriented along the optical axes and cut at Brewster angle for y-axis laser polarization to minimize birefringence effects. Stable passive mode-locking operation has been achieved by inverse saturable absorption with 80-mW output power and 3.7-ps pulses.     

不同脉冲重复频率下抽运方式对全光纤声光调Q激光器性能的影响

在不同初始边界条件下数值求解描述全光纤声光调Q双包层光纤激光器的速率方程,得到前向抽运结构和后向抽运结构下激光器上能级粒子数在增益光纤中的分布,以及脉冲能量、平均功率、脉宽、光纤中储能与脉冲重复频率、抽运合束器对信号光透过率、抽运功率的相互关系.从谐振腔内放大自发辐射光的产生影响谐振腔损耗的角度分析仿真结果,并实验验证两种抽运方式对输出脉冲功率和脉冲宽度的影响.结果表明：不同脉冲重复频率下抽运方式会对全光纤声光调Q激光器性能产生显著影响,为获得较好的脉冲输出性能,在重复频率较低 关键词： 光纤激光器 Q')" href="#">声光调Q 抽运方式     

Continuous-wave and Q-switched laser operation of Nd:Gd0.18Y0.82VO4 mixed crystal

Efficient continuous-wave (cw), passively Q-switched, and actively Q-switched laser operations are demonstrated with a mixed vanadate crystal of Nd:Gd_0.18Y_0.82VO₄ under diode pumping. In a cw operation, an output power of 8.25 W is obtained at a maximum available incident pump power (P_in) of 15 W, with a slope efficiency of 56%. Using a Cr⁴⁺:YAG crystal of initial transmission of 62% as the saturable absorber for Q-switching, an average output power of 3.05 W is generated at pulse repetition frequency (PRF) of 16.7 kHz when the laser is pumped with the same maximum P_in. The pulse energy, pulse duration, and peak power are 183.3 μJ, 6.0 ns, and 30.6 kW, respectively. When actively Q-switched by an acousto-optic modulator, the laser produces an average output power of 5.5 W at PRF of 30 kHz with 16.2 W of pump power incident upon the laser crystal. The pulse energy, duration, and peak power are measured to be 183 μJ, 10.5 ns, and 17.5 kW, respectively.     

Optical bifurcated fiber diode-pumping for two-wavelength laser operation with the Yb3+-doped GdAl3(BO3)4 birefringent crystal

Thanks to diode pumping through an optical bifurcated fiber, we take benefit of the birefringence of the Yb³⁺-doped GdAl₃(BO₃)₄ crystal to get two-polarization and two-wavelength laser operation both in CW and in passive Q-switch regimes. Typical differential slopes are 54% and 30% respectively for the o- and e-waves. In the pulse regime the two o- and e-pulses are synchronous but not simultaneous. Free running laser emissions near 1040 and 1046 nm for the e- and o-waves respectively were obtained with 2.5 nm FWHM.     

Optically pumped laser action in dideuteroacetylene

Optically pumped laser action has been observed in dideuteroacetylene. A total of fifteen output wavelengths in the 17.4 to 20.5 μm region are produced, pumped by seven CO₂ laser lines. The laser shows a number of unusual features, in particular pumping on hot bands and formally forbidden transitions and operation at high pressure (65 torr). Output energies were ～ 2 mJ from an unoptimised system. The temperature and pressure dependence of the output energy has been measured for typical lines. The time dependence of the output pulse varies markedly between the various output lines and suggests that one transition is Raman in origin.     

Growth and properties of KLu(WO4)2, and novel ytterbium and thulium lasers based on this monoclinic crystalline host

High‐quality crystals of monoclinic KLu(WO₄)₂, shortly KLuW, were grown with sizes sufficient for its characterization and substantial progress was achieved in the field of spectroscopy and laser operation with Yb³⁺‐ and Tm³⁺‐doping. We review the growth methodology for bulk KLuW and epitaxial layers, its structural, thermo‐mechanical, and optical properties, the Yb³⁺ and Tm³⁺ spectroscopy, and present laser results obtained in several operational regimes both with Ti:sapphire and direct diode laser pumping using InGaAs and AlGaAs diodes near 980 and 800 nm, respectively. The slope efficiencies with respect to the absorbed pump power achieved with continuous‐wave (CW) bulk and epitaxial Yb:KLuW lasers under Ti:sapphire laser pumping were ≈ 57 and ≈ 66%, respectively. Output powers as high as 3.28 W were obtained with diode pumping in a simple two‐mirror cavity where the slope efficiency with respect to the incident pump power reached ≈ 78%. Passively Q‐switched laser operation of bulk Yb:KLuW was realized with a Cr:YAG saturable absorber resulting in oscillation at ≈ 1031 nm with a repetition rate of 28 kHz and simultaneous Raman conversion to ≈ 1138 nm with maximum energies of 32.4 and 14.4 μJ, respectively. The corresponding pulse durations were 1.41 and 0.71 ns. Passive mode‐locking by a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) produced bandwidth‐limited pulses with duration of 81 fs (1046 nm, 95 MHz) and 114 fs (1030 nm, 101 MHz) for bulk and epitaxial Yb:KLuW lasers, respectively. Slope efficiency as high as 69% with respect to the absorbed power and an output power of 4 W at 1950 nm were achieved with a diode‐pumped Tm:KLuW laser. The slope efficiency reached with an epitaxial Tm:KLuW laser under Ti:sapphire laser pumping was 64 %. The tunability achieved with bulk and epitaxial Tm:KLuW lasers extended from 1800 to 1987 nm and from 1894 to 2039 nm, respectively.