Misalignment sensitivity of the cat’s eye cavity He-Ne laser

A concave mirror and a cat’s eye reflector acting as a resonator mirror form the cat’s eye cavity. Misalignment sensitivities of the cat’s eye cavity and conventional resonator are both analyzed in geometric method and matrix optics with misalignment sensitivity parameter. Valuable conclusions are drawn: in full-external He-Ne laser, cat’s eye cavity can improve the laser stability up to about 60 times better than the conventional one; diffraction loss introduced by the misalignment of the cat’s eye cavity attributes to the straight-line displacement vertical to the laser bore of the cat’s eye reflector; and with the convex lens center of the cat’s eye reflector secured immobile, the ultra-stable and adjustment-free cat’s eye cavity He-Ne laser is obtained. The analysis matches the experiment results very well. Cavities with three kinds of dimension errors are also calculated. This paper could be used as theoretic foundation for the design and application of cat’s eye cavity lasers.     

猫眼激光谐振腔横模选择特性研究

将猫眼逆向器作为激光谐振腔的一个腔镜组成猫眼谐振腔。介绍了猫眼逆向器的结构,阐述了猫眼逆向器中凸透镜和凹面镜的间距改变时猫眼曲率半径的相应变化,并通过有效地控制该间距来选择激光横模,从而保证基横模输出。在激光谐振腔衍射积分方程的基础上,运用牛顿柯特斯数学方法,对不同参量下的猫眼激光谐振腔的横模状况进行分析,得出了各阶横模对应的特征值和功率损耗,计算出保证基横模输出的参量,并与实验对比,得到了一致的结论,为激光器的横模选择和控制提供了一种简便易行的新方法。     

Folded resonator-dual polarization competition laser displacement sensor

The existing so-called “dual polarization competition laser displacement sensor” applies a cat’s eye resonator. The resonator could be disarranged when the cat’s eye reflector (CER) swings slightly with the rod of the slide rail in measuring the procedure and droops due to its deadweight in long-time operation. This influences the stability of the sensor significantly. In this paper, a novel cat’s eye folded resonator was built, based on which our system named “folded resonator-dual polarization competition laser displacement sensor” was set up. It has a high resolution of λ/16 (39.6 nm) and large measurement range of up to 17 mm. The misalignment sensitivities of traditional cat’s eye resonator and the folded one are both analyzed; and comprehensive experiments are carried out, through which a conclusion can be drawn out that the maximal adjusting angle and the maximal cross displacement of the CER in folded resonator are both about 5 times of those in cat’s eye cavity. Furthermore, the measurement results from this new sensor prove its high stability.     

基于猫眼腔镜损耗调节的激光横模演示系统

提出一种基于猫眼腔镜损耗调节的新型激光横模演示系统。采用半外腔He-Ne激光器,利用由分立的可进行五维微调的凸透镜和凹面镜组成的猫眼逆向器构成损耗可调激光谐振腔,通过调节猫眼逆向器改变激光谐振腔的损耗比，实现改变激光横模状态的作用。利用CCD进行图像采集，计算机实现图像存储，从而得到20多种结构清晰的高阶横模花样图片。     

猫眼谐振腔氦氖激光器理论分析

猫眼逆向器作为谐振腔镜与一个凹面镜构成猫眼激光谐振腔.精确计算了三种猫眼逆向器(即理想猫眼逆向器和两种存在误差的猫眼逆向器)的逆向平行反射性，并对应用这三种猫眼逆向器的谐振腔中高斯光束的各项参数进行了深入分析，得出结论：对于高斯光束，凸透镜的焦距、凹面镜曲率半径、凸透镜与凹面镜间距三者相等的猫眼逆向器为理想逆向器，其逆向平行反射性最好，此时猫眼谐振腔处于理想状态，基模模体积最大，远场发散角最小，稳定性最好；在猫眼谐振腔的设计中，要尽量减小猫眼逆向器中凸透镜的焦距，增大凹面输出镜的曲率半径；猫眼逆向器存在误差时谐振腔的各项性能将受到影响.为猫眼谐振腔激光器的设计提供了理论依据.     

Self-adaptive, narrowband tuning of a pulsed optical parametric oscillator and a continuous-wave diode laser via phase-conjugate photorefractive cavity reflectors: verification by high-resolution spectroscopy

A dynamic self-adaptive Bragg grating formed in a photorefractive crystal is shown to be a convenient way to attain single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) operation and narrowband tuning both in a pulsed, injection-seeded optical parametric oscillator (OPO) and in a continuous-wave (cw) extended-cavity diode laser. The pulsed OPO cavity comprises a Rh:BaTiO₃ photorefractive (PR) crystal, a periodically poled KTiOPO₄ nonlinear-optical crystal, and a dielectrically-coated end mirror. A continuous-wave seed beam at 820–850 nm from a tunable SLM diode laser traverses firstly the Rh:BaTiO₃ crystal and then is retro-reflected by the end mirror; this creates a wavelength-selective Bragg grating reflector in the PR crystal, thereby completing the OPO cavity. The cavity stays automatically resonant with the seed radiation, with no need to actively control its length or to make any other mechanical adjustment. One form of injection seeder comprises a novel extended-cavity diode laser (ECDL) design incorporating a self-pumped photorefractive phase-conjugate reflector and a compact, high-finesse tunable intracavity ring filter. This combination facilitates robust tunable single-frequency operation with narrow optical bandwidth. The performance characteristics of the OPO and the ECDL are evaluated by recording high-resolution atomic and molecular spectra. Notably, fluorescence-detected sub-Doppler two-photon excitation at 822 nm, of the 8S ←6S transition in atomic Cs, provides a crucial linewidth test.     

Study on the possibilities of controlling the laser output beam properties by an intracavity deformable mirror

The possibilities of controlling the laser beam properties by a deformable mirror introduced into the laser optical cavity were studied theoretically and experimentally. The experiments were performed under conditions of an industrial high power transverse flow cw CO₂ laser operating with a stable resonator of a folded configuration. A deformable bimorph mirror of a surface profile controlled by the voltage applied to the mirror electrodes is implemented to the laser system as a back cavity mirror or as a one of the inner folding mirrors. The near-and far-field characteristics of the laser beam versus the resonator configuration controlled by the changes of the focal length of the deformable mirror are discussed in the paper. The analysis reveals that the resonator with an inner deformable mirror is much more sensitive to the mirror curvature variations than the resonator in which the deformable mirror is used as a back cavity mirror. The presented results show that dynamic and controllable changes in the resonator properties result in the controlled modification and optimisation of the laser output power and spatial parameters of the laser radiation.     

Using a DS-DBR laser for widely tunable near-infrared cavity ring-down spectroscopy

Studies into the suitability of a novel, widely tunable telecom L-band (1,563–1,613 nm) digital supermode distributed Bragg reflector (DS-DBR) laser for cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) are presented. The spectrometer comprised of a 36.6?cm long linear cavity with ring-down times varying between 19–26 μs across the 50 nm DS-DBR wavelength range due to changes in the cavity mirror reflectivities with wavelength. The potential of such a broadband, high-resolution CRD spectrometer was illustrated by investigating several transitions of CO₂ in air, a 5 % calibrated mixture and breath samples. Allan variance measurements at a single wavelength indicated an optimal minimum detectable absorption coefficient (α _min) of 3 × 10^?10 cm^?1 over 20 s.     

Selection of a LGp0-shaped fundamental mode in a laser cavity: Phase versus amplitude masks

Laser beams of a single high-order transverse mode have been of interest to the laser community for several years now. In order to achieve such a mode as the fundamental mode of the cavity, mode selecting elements in the form of a phase or amplitude mask are often placed inside the resonator. Such elements have the role to impose one or several zeros of intensity of the desired mode. In this paper, we consider the use of the most simple phase (amplitude) mask which is a transparent π-plate (absorbing ring) set inside a diaphragmed laser cavity for selecting a pure LG_p0 mode of radial order, p. We analyse, for each type of mask, the origin of the transverse mode selection, and contrary to what one might expect we find that it is not necessary the absorbing mask that results in the highest losses.     

Single longitudinal and transverse mode operation of a hybrid unstable resonator TE CO2 laser

Single-mode operation of an atmospheric-pressure TE CO₂ laser is reported. Single longitudinal mode emission has been achieved by incorporating a low-pressure, transversely excited gain section in the same laser cavity as the atmospheric-pressure section. The effects of different resonator configurations on the system modal behaviour have been investigated and it is shown that unstable resonators are particularly suitable for controlling the transverse mode structure with a complete coverage of the excited medium. With an unstable resonator configuration, formed by a metallic convex mirror and a plane diffraction grating, single longitudinal and single transverse mode output pulses with energy up to 2 J have been produced on more than 40 lines of both the 9.4 m and 10.4 m bands. This technique can easily be scaled to larger aperture devices at higher extracted energies.     

Experimental determination of diffraction losses in a near-hemispherical resonator

For the TEM₀₀ mode in a near-hemispherical resonator with variable mode-selecting aperture, we have investigated the diffraction losses versus mirror spacing. The experiments are done with a low gain 633 nm He-Ne laser and two situations are considered. At first the aperture is located at the concave mirror and the experimental values agree very well with those computed by Li for a passive cavity. Then the aperature is placed near the active medium and discrepancies are observed between the experimental results and the proposals of various authors.     

The dynamic stability resonant cavity design of two rod Nd:YAG laser

The stability of the higher output power with high-quality beams is very important parameter in material processing. This paper presents using the S parameter and Gauss beam parameters matching to design efficient resonant cavity of two-rod Nd:YAG. The fundamental mode beam radius in rod, fundamental mode beam radius on the mirror, beam quality factor, and the value of the degree of the symmetry of the TEM00 mode volume as a function of the between neighbor rods distance, laser rod end face to mirror distance, and input power are simulated. The design method of resonant cavity is illustrated and compared with previously published experimental measurements for different pump power and the length of the cavity parameters and a good agreement has been found.     

The influence of misalignment of an axisymmetrical folded-combined CO2 laser on output power

The influences of misalignments of an axisymmetrical folded-combined (ASFC) CO₂ laser on the output power are studied in detail. The new cavity axes are established by using the misaligned matrixes corresponding to the misalignments of the output mirror and the discharge tube, and the diffraction losses of the cavity and the output powers are calculated. It is shown that the influences of the misalignments on the output power are significant when the misalignment angle of the output mirror exceeds 20 s. These calculated values afford references for the design of ASFC CO₂ lasers.     

Whispering gallery mode selective reflector with a high azimuthal index for the input cavity of a gyroklystron

A selective reflector in the form of a resonance extension is suggested for the input cavity of a 8-mm-wave gyroklystron operating at whispering gallery mode H _{m, 1} with an azimuthal index of several tens. Simulation data for the selective reflector are presented.     

Non-Gaussian fundamental laser mode oscillation in end-pumped Nd:YVO4 microchip laser

Far-Field non-Gaussian fundamental transverse modes have been obtained in CW end-pumped Nd:YVO₄ microchip laser for particular cavity lengths. Such profiles appear at threshold and are not distorted when pump power increases but they strongly depend on the pump to mode size ratio. An implemented theoretical model qualitatively reproduces these transverse profiles. It is based on the hypothesis of diffraction effects of the resonant intra-cavity field on a Gaussian-gain profile. Dependence of the pump to mode size ratio on such profiles will be also theoretically explained.     

A 5 MHz beat frequency He–Ne laser equipped with bireflectance cavity mirror

A He–Ne dual-frequency laser equipped with a bireflectance cavity mirror is described. It is based on the principle that when the incident light is perpendicular to the bireflectance cavity mirror, the phase delays of the reflective light along the mirror's fast and slow axes are different because of the photoelastic effect. The mode coupling is reduced by utilizing transverse Zeeman effect so that two linear and orthogonal polarization components with 5 MHz beat frequency are generated. The effect of the magnetic field's direction on the dual-frequency as well as the polarization property of the laser are investigated by experiments. After stabilizing the frequency, the laser is calibrated with the iodine frequency stabilization laser of Chinese National Institute of Metrology (CNIM). Experimental results indicate that the expanded uncertainty of wavelength in vacuum is 1×10⁻⁷ (k=3) with a frequency stabilization of 6.6×10⁻¹⁰ (sampled in 1000 s).     

Hybrid vertical‐cavity laser with lateral emission into a silicon waveguide

We experimentally demonstrate an optically‐pumped III‐V/Si vertical‐cavity laser with lateral emission into a silicon waveguide. This on‐chip hybrid laser comprises a distributed Bragg reflector, a III‐V active layer, and a high‐contrast grating reflector, which simultaneously funnels light into the waveguide integrated with the laser. This laser has the advantages of long‐wavelength vertical‐cavity surface‐emitting lasers, such as low threshold and high side‐mode suppression ratio, while allowing integration with silicon photonic circuits, and is fabricated using CMOS compatible processes. It has the potential for ultrahigh‐speed operation beyond 100 Gbit/s and features a novel mechanism for transverse mode control.

     

Stationary generation of diode-pumped self-Raman Nd:YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript>/YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript> composite crystal laser

Output power dependences of composite Nd³⁺:YVO₄ Raman laser stationary generation on the longitudinal diode pump power are measured at different transmissions of the output mirror at the Stokes radiation frequency. The deviation of the measured dependences from linear is explained by the influence of thermal effects on both the overlap of the beams and diffraction losses. A method to estimate the laser and Stokes losses in the cavity and the parameters characterizing the overlap of the laser radiation with the pump and Stokes beams is proposed. A Stokes-component of power 2.1 W is obtained and corresponds to 12% diode-to-Stokes efficiency.     

Active mode locking of a phase-conjugating SBS-laser oscillator

We present a flashlamp-pumped Nd:YAG laser simultaneously emitting pulse structures on microsecond, nanosecond and picosecond time scales. Within a microsecond flashlamp pump pulse a nonlinear reflector based on stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) generates several Q-switch pulses. The phase-conjugating effect of the SBS reflector provides a compensation of phase distortions generated inside the laser rod, resulting in transverse fundamental mode operation. Additional acousto-optic loss modulation inside the resonator leads to mode locking. As a result, each Q-switch pulse is subdivided into several picosecond pulses. Energies of up to 2 mJ for the mode-locked pulses with durations between 220 and 800 ps are demonstrated. The wide variability of the lasers temporal output parameters as well as its high beam quality make it a splendid tool for fundamental research in laser materials processing. PACS 42.60.Fc; 42.60.Gd; 42.65.Es     

Feedback coupling loss in single mode fiber lasers

Based on the expansion of the fundamental mode LP₀₁ in single mode fiber in terms of Laguerre-Gaussian free space modes, the feedback coupling losses for two different types of cavity mirror, i.e., a curvature mirror and a combing mirror of a lens and a plane mirror, are numerically calculated for the first time. The results show that, for the curvature mirror, the lowest coupling loss is obtained when its curvature radius matches the wavefront curvature. In particular, if a plane mirror is used as the cavity mirror, it has to be placed close to the fiber end to obtain the low coupling loss. For the combing mirror, the lowest coupling loss can be obtained when the plane mirror is placed at the back focal plane of the lens, and the variation of the coupling loss is insensitive to the mirror positions for the lens with longer focal length. Finally, the plane mirror and the combing mirror of a lens and a plane mirror are suggested to be the cavity mirror in the practical construction of the high power fiber lasers.