脉冲储能型重复频率Yb:YAG片状激光放大器ASE效应研究

探讨了脉冲储能型重复频率片状Yb:YAG激光放大器抽运过程中的自发辐射放大（ASE）效应和能量提取过程.在Yb³⁺离子抽运动力学的基础上,建立了抽运过程中的自发辐射放大模型,计算了Yb:YAG晶体中三维含时储能密度分布和全片可提取能量.讨论了不同介质尺寸、掺杂浓度及厚度、介质温度参数下,自发辐射放大对储能的影响.给出了较为优化的设计,将有助于基于Yb激光材料的大能量二极管抽运的固体激光器设计. 关键词： 脉冲储能 Yb:YAG激光放大器 自发辐射放大（ASE）     

一种基于增益调制技术的全光纤化脉冲Yb光纤激光器

以波长为975 nm的半导体激光器作为泵浦源,周期性地脉冲泵浦一个包含Yb掺杂光纤和光纤光栅对的Yb光纤激光器,实现了基于增益调制技术的全光纤化高功率Yb光纤激光器的稳定脉冲输出.在50 kHz重频下,采用20 W的泵浦功率和2.4 μs的泵浦脉冲宽度,获得了1 060 nm波长脉冲宽度仅100 ns的稳定脉冲激光输出,单脉冲激光能量约为20 μJ.以此作为脉冲激光种子进行功率放大,获得了性能稳定的全光纤结构高功率脉冲激光输出,放大后单脉冲能量超过200 μJ,激光放大器斜率效率达到60%.     

激光二极管端面抽运的棒状Yb：YAG激光器

分析了影响激光二极管抽运Yb：YAG激光器调Q效率的参量，推导了激光二极管端面脉冲抽运Yb：YAG晶体的速率方程，解出了双程抽运情况下的净抽运量子产率。利用数值计算方法，模拟了净抽运量子产率与晶体长度，抽运光脉冲宽度等关系，得出晶体长度的优化可以提高Yb：YAG激光器输出效率。计算了词Q Yb：YAG激光器的最大增益、最大储能，分析了放大自发辐射对于Yb：YAG能量存储的影响。同时给出了激光二极管端面抽运调Q Yb：YAG优化设计方法。这些分析和计算为实际器件的研制提供参考。     

激光二极管端面抽运的棒状Yb∶YAG激光器

分析了影响激光二极管抽运Yb∶YAG激光器调Q效率的参量 ,推导了激光二极管端面脉冲抽运Yb∶YAG晶体的速率方程 ,解出了双程抽运情况下的净抽运量子产率。利用数值计算方法 ,模拟了净抽运量子产率与晶体长度 ,抽运光脉冲宽度等关系 ,得出晶体长度的优化可以提高Yb∶YAG激光器输出效率。计算了调QYb∶YAG激光器的最大增益、最大储能 ,分析了放大自发辐射对于Yb∶YAG能量存储的影响。同时给出了激光二极管端面抽运调QYb∶YAG优化设计方法。这些分析和计算为实际器件的研制提供参考。     

Yb离子抽运动力学及脉冲储能特性研究

从准三能级Yb离子的能级结构出发，建立了Yb离子的抽运和激光速率方程，结合解析和数值方法，研究了Yb激光介质的抽运动力学过程，包括抽运激发效率、最低抽运强度、激光能量提取效率等关键参数.比较了三类典型的Yb激光介质性能：Yb:S-FAP,Yb:YAG以及Yb:FP-glass.以放大自发辐射(ASE)为设计判据，重点研究了脉冲储能型Yb激光器的设计准则，包括增益介质的厚度与掺杂浓度.最后利用此模型给出了基于Yb:S-FAP以及Yb:YAG的100J级二极管抽运固体激光器(DPSSL)的总体设计参数.将对基于Yb激光介质的脉冲储能型DPSSL的设计提供有益的参考. 关键词： Yb离子 速率方程 抽运动力学 二极管抽运固体激光器     

LD泵浦Nd∶LuVO_4/Cr~(4 )∶YAG被动调Q激光器

采用大功率半导体激光器端面泵浦Nd∶LuVO4晶体,利用Cr4 ∶YAG晶体作为可饱和吸收元件,实现了1.06μm激光的被动调Q运转.在泵浦功率为19.1W时,获得最高平均输出功率为4.58W,脉冲宽度为84ns,单脉冲能量为36.6μJ以及峰值功率为436.2W的激光脉冲.     

LD泵浦Nd∶LuVO4/Cr4+∶YAG被动调Q激光器

采用大功率半导体激光器端面泵浦Nd∶LuVO4晶体，利用Cr4+∶YAG晶体作为可饱和吸收元件，实现了1.06 μm激光的被动调Q运转.在泵浦功率为19.1 W时，获得最高平均输出功率为4.58 W，脉冲宽度为84 ns，单脉冲能量为36.6 μJ以及峰值功率为436.2 W的激光脉冲.     

基于SESAM被动调Q的激光二极管泵浦Yb∶CaYAlO_4脉冲激光器

采用发射波长约为976 nm的半导体激光器作为泵浦源,Yb~(3+)掺杂浓度为1. 5at.%、通光长度为2 mm的Yb∶CaYAlO_4晶体作为增益介质,本文提出了一种基于半导体可饱和吸收镜(SESAM)被动调Q的激光二极管泵浦Yb∶CaYAlO_4以获取稳定脉冲输出的方案。通过合理设计谐振腔,实现了稳定的被动调Q激光脉冲输出,并分析了泵浦功率的大小对输出脉冲的重复频率、脉冲宽度、单脉冲能量以及脉冲峰值功率的影响。     

LD泵浦被动调Q-Yb3+∶YAG微晶片激光器的优化设计

从速率方程出发,理论分析了泵浦功率、输出镜反射率、Cr4+∶YAG的初始透过率和长度、Yb3+∶YAG的长度对调Q激光器的重复频率、脉冲宽度、平均输出功率、峰值功率、输出脉冲能量和单脉冲能量利用率的影响。依据理论结果设计了一个窄脉冲宽度、高峰值功率和脉冲能量的被动调Q-Yb3+∶YAG微晶片激光器。该激光器的脉冲宽度Δt=199 ps,峰值功率P m=1.04 MW,输出脉冲能量E=0.21 mJ。     

两级钛宝石激光系统放大实验

 用两级多程放大构型进行了钛宝石脉冲激光的多程预放大和功率放大实验, 以倍频YAG为泵浦源, 当注入光能量为1nJ时输出脉冲能量达23mJ, 放大总增益大于10⁷。     

Comparative study on the laser performance of two Yb-doped disordered garnet crystals: Yb:CNGG and Yb:CLNGG

Continuous-wave (CW) and passively Q-switching laser performance of the Yb:CNGG and Yb:CLNGG disordered garnet crystals are compared. CW output powers of 6.3 and 7.5?W are generated from the Yb:CNGG and Yb:CLNGG lasers, with slope efficiencies measured to be 63 and 74?%, respectively. In passively Q-switched operation, the average output power reaches 2.0 and 3.1?W, with slope efficiencies of 56 and 65?%, for the Yb:CNGG and Yb:CLNGG lasers, respectively. Laser pulses of 9.5?ns in duration are generated with the two Yb lasers, with the highest pulse energy and peak power amounting to 166.7???J and 17.5?kW for the Yb:CNGG laser, and 133.0???J and 14.0?kW for the Yb:CLNGG laser. In respects of efficient laser operation and power scaling, the Yb:CLNGG proves to be advantageous over Yb:CNGG, whereas the Yb:CNGG is superior to Yb:CLNGG in energy storage capacity.     

Laser-diode pumped self-Q-switched microchip lasers

Optical properties of Cr,Yb:YAG, Cr,Nd:YAG crystals, and composite Yb:YAG/Cr:YAG ceramics self-Q-switched solid-state laser materials are presented. The merits of these self-Q-switched laser materials are given and the potentials of such lasers can be chosen by the applications. Cr,Yb:YAG and composite Yb:YAG/Cr:YAG ceramics self-Q-switched laser are conducted. Although several tens of kW peak power can be obtained with a monolithic microchip Cr,Yb:YAG laser, the experimental results show that the performance of this laser is limited by the absorption of Cr⁴⁺ ions at a pump wavelength of 940 nm and strong fluorescence quenching at high Cr concentration. Composite Yb:YAG/Cr:YAG ceramics are more suitable to realize high pulse energy and peak power (up to MW level) with optimized lasing and Q-switching parts. In addition, the instabilities induced by the multi-longitudinal mode competition in Cr,Nd:YAG and Cr,Yb:YAG microchip lasers are addressed. The different gain bandwidths of Yb:YAG and Nd:YAG play an important role in the instability of the output laser pulse trains. Stable laser pulses from the Cr,Yb:YAG microchip laser were obtained due to the antiphase dynamics. For the Cr,Nd:YAG microchip laser, the instability caused by the multi-longitudinal mode competition is an intrinsic property. Different transverse patterns were observed in Cr,Nd:YAG microchip lasers when a pump beam with larger diameter was used. Saturated inversion population distribution inside the gain medium plays an important role in the transverse pattern formation. Different transverse patterns were reconstructed by combining different sets of the Hermite-Gaussian modes.     

Theoretical investigation of feasibility of Yb:YAG as laser material for nanosecond pulse emission with large energies in the Joule range

The long fluorescence lifetime of the upper laser level of Yb:YAG seems to make it an attractive material for the realization of Q-switched pulses with large pulse energy. The consequences of the spectroscopic parameter set of Yb:YAG for the feasibility of a large pulse energy laser, which emits pulses with nanosecond duration, are addressed on the basis of a rate equation model. The rate equations are analytically solved and applied to the optical side pumping of Yb:YAG rods. The thermal population of the lower laser level and the saturation of the laser material are discussed in specific.     

Direct amplification of ultrashort pulses in μ-pulling-down Yb:YAG single crystal fibers

We demonstrated that Yb:YAG single crystal fibers have a strong potential for the amplification of femtosecond pulses. Seeded by 230?fs pulses with an average power of 400?mW at 30?MHz delivered by a passively mode-locked Yb:KYW oscillator, the system produced 330?fs pulses with an average power of 12?W. This is the shortest pulse duration ever produced by an Yb:YAG amplifier. The gain in the single crystal fiber reached a value as high as 30 in a simple double-pass configuration.     

Demonstration of a 100 Hz repetition rate gain-saturated diode-pumped table-top soft x-ray laser

We demonstrate the operation of a gain-saturated table-top soft x-ray laser at 100?Hz repetition rate. The laser generates an average power of 0.15?mW at λ=18.9 nm, the highest laser power reported to date from a sub-20-nm wavelength compact source. Picosecond laser pulses of 1.5?μJ energy were produced at λ=18.9 nm by amplification in a Mo plasma created by tailoring the temporal intensity profile of single pump pulses with 1?J energy produced by a diode-pumped chirped pulse amplification Yb:YAG laser. Lasing was also obtained in the 13.9?nm line of Ni-like Ag. These results increase by an order of magnitude the repetition rate of plasma-based soft x-ray lasers opening the path to milliwatt average power table-top lasers at sub-20?nm wavelengths.     

Yb:YAG Innoslab amplifier: efficient high repetition rate subpicosecond pumping system for optical parametric chirped pulse amplification

We report on a Yb:YAG Innoslab laser amplifier system for generation of subpicsecond high energy pump pulses for optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA) at high repetition rates. Pulse energies of up to 20 mJ (at 12.5 kHz) and repetition rates of up to 100 kHz were attained with pulse durations of 830 fs and average power in excess of 200 W. We further investigate the possibility to use subpicosecond pulses to derive a stable continuum in a YAG crystal for OPCPA seeding.     

16.2-W average power from a diode-pumped femtosecond Yb:YAG thin disk laser

We demonstrate a power-scalable concept for high-power all-solid-state femtosecond lasers, based on passive mode locking of Yb:YAG thin disk lasers with semiconductor saturable-absorber mirrors. We obtained 16.2 W of average output power in pulses with 730-fs duration, 0.47-muJ pulse energy, and 560-kW peak power. This is to our knowledge the highest average power reported for a laser oscillator in the subpicosecond regime. Single-pass frequency doubling through a 5-mm-long lithium triborate crystal (LBO) yields 8-W average output power of 515-nm radiation.     

Efficient passively Q-switched laser operation of Yb in the disordered NaGd(WO4)2 crystal host

Efficient passively Q-switched laser operation of the disordered Yb:NaGd(WO(4))(2) crystal is demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge with a Cr(4+):YAG saturable absorber by diode end pumping. 2.05 W of average output power at a pulse repetition frequency of 13.3 kHz was obtained at an absorbed pump power of 7.7 W, with a slope efficiency of 40%. The energy and duration of the generated laser pulse were 154 microJ and 33 ns, respectively, corresponding to a peak power of 4.67 kW. In continuous-wave operation, the Yb:NaGd(WO(4))(2) laser yielded an output power of 5.5 W with an optical-optical efficiency of 51%.