Efficient conversion from 1 to 2 microm by a KTP-based ring optical parametric oscillator

Conversion of Q -switched 1.064-microm Nd:YAG laser pulses to the 2-2.2-mu; m region with 46% efficiency is demonstrated with a KTP-based type 2 phase-matched optical parametric oscillator (OPO) with two pairs of walk-off compensating crystals in a ring resonator. With 10 mJ of pump energy, we obtain 2.5 mJ at the 2.06-microm signal and 2.1 mJ at the 2.2-microm idler, with a beam quality of M(2) approximately 1.4 . With a ZnGeP(2) -based OPO pumped by the signal from the KTP OPO we achieved 14% conversion efficiency from 1.064microm to the 3-5-microm range.     

Enhancement of CsLiB(6)O(10) surface-damage resistance by improved crystallinity and ion-beam etching

The surface laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of CsLiB(6)O(10) (CLBO) crystal was enhanced twofold with improved crystallinity and ion-beam etching. For crystals with high crystal quality (bulk LIDT, 15.0-19.0 GW/cm(2)), the surface LIDT was 1.4-fold higher than for those with conventional crystal quality (bulk LIDT, 9.0-12.0 GW/cm(2)). In addition, removal of residual surface-polishing compounds by means of ion-beam etching can further enhance the surface LIDT by another 1.5-fold. Thus, CLBO crystals with high crystal quality and ion-beam etching are now more reliable for high-power UV light generation.     

Focusing coherent soft-x-ray radiation to a micrometer spot size with an intensity of 10(14) W/cm2

We investigate the focusability of intense coherent soft-x-ray radiation generated by high-order harmonic conversion. The 27th-harmonic wave at 29.6 nm is focused by an off-axis parabolic mirror with a SiC/Mg multilayer coating. Focal-spot images are observed from the visible fluorescence induced by the soft-x-ray photons on a Ce:YAG scintillator. We demonstrate focusing of the soft-x-ray beam to a 1-microm spot size with a peak intensity of 1 x 10(14) W/cm2, which is to our knowledge the highest ever reported in the soft-x-ray region.     

Photorefractive recording in LiNbO(3):Mn

The dynamic range, sensitivity, and dark decay of holographic recording of wavelength 458 nm in LiNbO(3) crystals doped with 0.2-at. % Mn with different oxidation states have been measured. The measured sensitivity is 0.5 cm/J and is found to be independent of the oxidation state, and the largest M/# obtained is 12/mm (extraordinary light polarization; light wavelength, 458 nm). This combination of very large M/# and high sensitivity is in strong contrast with results for LiNbO(3):Fe for which a direct trade-off exists between M/# and sensitivity. The activation energy of the dark decay of holograms stored in these LiNbO(3):Mn crystals is ~1.0 eV , which is characteristic of proton compensation and leads to a projected lifetime of holograms of three years at room temperature.     

Polymer-coated hollow fiber for CO(2) laser delivery

Hollow fibers for CO(2) laser light have been fabricated with a cyclic olefin polymer as the inner dielectric. A film of cyclic olefin polymer was coated inside the glass capillary tubing by a simple liquid-flowing process. A polymer-coated fiber with a 700-microm bore showed a loss of 0.06 dB/m for CO(2) laser light because cyclic olefin polymer has low absorption at a 10.6-microm wavelength.     

Electron spin relaxation in pseudo-Jahn-Teller low-symmetry Cu(II) complexes in diaqua(L-aspartate)Zn(II).H(2)O crystals.

Low-temperature (4-55 K) pulsed EPR measurements were performed with the magnetic field directed along the z-axis of the g-factor of the low-symmetry octahedral complex [(63)Cu(L-aspartate)(2)(H2O)2] undergoing dynamic Jahn-Teller effect in diaqua(L-aspartate)Zn(II) hydrate single crystals. Spin-lattice relaxation time T(1) and phase memory time T(M) were determined by the electron spin echo (ESE) method. The relaxation rate 1/T(1) increases strongly over 5 decades in the temperature range 4-55 K. Various processes and mechanisms of T(1)-relaxation are discussed, and it is shown that the relaxation is governed mainly by Raman relaxation processes with the Debye temperature Theta(D)=204 K, with a detectable contribution from disorder in the doped Cu(2+) ions system below 12 K. An analytical approximation of the transport integral I(8) is given in temperature range T=0.025-10Theta(D) and applied for computer fitting procedures. Since the Jahn-Teller distorted configurations differ strongly in energy (delta(12)=240 cm(-1)), there is no influence of the classical vibronic dynamics mechanism on T(1). Dephasing of the ESE (phase relaxation) is governed by instantaneous diffusion and spectral diffusion below 20 K with resulting rigid lattice value 1/T(0)(M)=1.88 MHz. Above this temperature the relaxation rate 1/T(M) increases upon heating due to two mechanisms. The first is the phonon-controlled excitation to the first excited vibronic level of energy Delta=243 cm(-1), with subsequent tunneling to the neighbor potential well. This vibronic-type dynamics also produces a temperature-dependent broadening of lines in the ESEEM spectra. The second mechanism is produced by the spin-lattice relaxation. The increase in T(M) is described in terms of the spin packets forming inhomogeneously broadened EPR lines.     

Room-temperature 3.4- mum Dy:BaYb(2)F(8) laser

We have demonstrated a room-temperature laser on the (6)H(13/2) - (6)H(15/2) transition of Dy(3+) in Dy:BaYb(2)F(8) at 3.40 mum . A pulsed 1.3-microm Nd:YAG laser was used as the pump. Our measured spontaneous-emission spectrum for the (6)H(13/2) - (6)H(15/2) band indicates that this laser should be continuously tunable between 3.0 and 3.4 mum .     

Nanosecond optical parametric oscillator based on large-aperture periodically poled RbTiOAsO(4)

We report on optical parametric oscillators (OPO's) based on periodically poled RbTiOAsO(4) (PP RTA), which are pumped by Q -switched solid-state lasers. With a diode-pumped Nd:YVO(4) laser (pulse energy, 800microJ ; pulse duration, 5.5 ns; repetition rate, 1 kHz) the PP RTA OPO generated 1.58-microm signal and 3.26-microm idler radiation with a signal pulse energy of 45microJ . The large aperture of 3 mmx3 mm of the PP RTA crystal also permitted OPO operation with pump pulse energies as high as 65 mJ, provided by a flash-lamp-pumped Q -switched Nd:YAG laser (pulse duration, 20 ns; repetition rate, 10 Hz). With this pump source the OPO generated signal pulse energies as high as 17 mJ, corresponding to an efficiency of 26%. The performance of this OPO shows that large-aperture PP RTA crystals are well suited for pulsed nanosecond OPO operation with pump pulse energies of tens of millijoules.     

Nd3+:NaLa(WO4)2晶体的生长和光学性质

用双坩埚法从高温溶液里生长出线度达7 mm的Nd3 : NaLa(WO4)2晶体.扫描电子显微镜的观察结果表明,虽然在晶体冷却过程中经历了两个相变,但相变并未造成晶体开裂;样品的X射线衍射花样可以看出,所得晶体为纯低温四方相的Nd3 :NaLa(WO4)2．在室温下对晶体的光吸收和光发射作了测量,发现晶体在804 nm有个半高宽达到23 nm的宽吸收峰．讨算出晶体在804 nm处的吸收截面为7．24×10-20 cm2,在1057 nm处的发射截面为6．54×10-20 cm2．     

Optical properties and phase-matching in LiInS2

Investigation results on linear and non-linear optical properties, damage threshold and potential efficiencies of biaxial negative LiInS2 crystal are represented. It shows that the crystal has phase-matching and group-velocity matching in wide spectral range for second harmonic, sum- and difference-frequency generation of visible, near and middle IR lasers. The possibilities of designing middle IR optical parametric oscillator (OPO) pumped by Nd:YAG and dye lasers and specially possibility of frequency conversion with 3 um range femtosecond erbium lasers are given.     

铁电单晶Pb (Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3的高场致应变及其在层叠式驱动器中的应用

通过研究(1_x)Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O_{3_x}PbTiO3(PMNT)单晶在不同方向、不同组分下高场致应变的特性，确定了〈001〉取向 PMNT单晶（29％≤x≤31%）为制作层叠式驱动器的最佳组分范围，这组分的单晶具有高场致应变、低滞后而且性能较稳定的特点.研究结果表明，在保证应变曲线的线性和低滞后的前提下，将近-2kV/cm的负电场能够运用于〈001〉方向的PMNT晶体上. 40层（每片晶片尺寸为7mm×7mm×0.7mm）PM 关键词： PMNT单晶 场致应变 PMNT驱动器     

Dephasing relaxation of the electron spin echo of the vibronic Cu(H(2)O)(6) complexes in Tutton salt crystals at low temperatures.

Two-pulse electron spin echo (ESE) measurements of the phase relaxation (phase memory time T(M)) were performed in a series of Tutton salt crystals M(I)(2)M(II)(SO(4))(2).6X(2)O (M(I)=NH(4), K, Cs; M(II)=Zn, Mg; X=H, D) weakly doped with Cu(2+) ions (c approximately equal to 10(18) ions/cm(3)) in temperature range 4-60 K where ESE signals were detectable. The ESE decay was strongly modulated with proton (or deuteron) frequencies and described by the decay function V(2tau)=V(0)exp(-btau-mtau(2)) with the mtau(2) term being temperature independent and negligible above 20 K. Various mechanisms leading to the tau- or tau(2)-type ESE decay are reviewed. The m and b coefficients for nuclear spectral diffusion (NSD), electron spectral diffusion (SD), and instantaneous diffusion (ID) were calculated in terms of existing theories and the resulting rigid lattice T(0)(M) times were found to be close one to another within the crystal family with average values: 17.5 micros (NSD protons), 200 micros (NSD deuterons), 8 micros (SD), and 5 micros (ID). The ID dominates but the calculated effective T(M)(0) is longer than the experimental T(M)(0)=2 micros. This is due to a nonuniform distribution of the Cu(2+) ions with a various degree of the disorder in the studied crystals. The acceleration of the dephasing rate 1/T(M) with temperature is due to the mechanisms producing exp(-btau) decay. They are reviewed and two of them were found to be operative in Tutton salt crystals: (a) Excitations to the vibronic levels of energy Delta leading to the temperature dependence 1/T(M)=B exp(-Delta/kT), with the vibronic levels produced by strong Jahn-Teller effect, and (b) spin-lattice relaxation processes being effective above 50 K. Based on the Delta values being on the order of 100 cm(-1), the scheme of vibronic levels in the Tutton salts is presented, and the independence of the Delta on temperature proves that the adiabatic potential surface shape of Jahn-Teller active Cu(H(2)O)(6) complexes is not affected by temperature below 65 K.     

Transverse Josephson plasma mode in T* phase SmLa(1-x)Sr(x)CuO(4-delta) single crystals

Far-infrared reflectivity along the c axis in T* phase SmLa(1-x)Sr(x)CuO(4-delta) single crystals is measured down to 8 cm(-1). Below T(c), the conductivity peak is observed at 25 cm(-1) for x = 0.15 ( T(c) = 30 K) along with two reflectivity edges at 13 and 27 cm(-1). The conductivity peak is attributed to the transverse Josephson plasma mode between two longitudinal Josephson plasma modes, while the oscillator strength of the peak is found to be smaller than that calculated using the Josephson-coupled multilayer model. The difference is explained by assuming that only a few junctions at the disordered (La,Sr)(2)O(2-delta) block layer take part in the plasma oscillation with omega(pI(')) = 27 cm(-1).     

Continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled KTiOPO(4)

We report what is to our knowledge the first demonstration of a continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator (OPO) based on periodically poled KTiOPO(4) . The 10-mm-long flux-grown crystal had a quasi-phase-matched period of 9mum . The pump source was a miniature frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser, and the threshold power of this doubly resonant device was 51 mW. The OPO was operated near room temperature. The signal and the idler wavelengths could be tuned in the range 1037-1093 nm by variation of the crystal temperature (32-38 degrees C) and the cavity length. Unlike in other nonlinear crystals, green-induced infrared absorption was not observed up to the highest pumping intensity of approximately 4.5kW/cm(2) .     

Fast photorefractive response in B(12)SiO(20) in the near infrared

The polarization self-modulation effect was applied for effective measurement of the characteristic response time of nominally pure Bi(12)SiO(20) (BSO) at wavelengths of 810 and 980 nm. Owing to oxygen deficiency in the crystal lattice, the BSO crystals showed unusual photorefractive sensitivity and remarkable operation speed in the near-infrared spectral region. A response time of 130 ms was measured at 810 nm, and a response time of 540 ms was measured at 980 nm, with incident intensities of 110 and 200mW/cm(2), respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first experimental evidence of a subsecond response in the infrared for a nonsemiconductor photorefractive material.     

Analysis of the nu(12) Band of Ethylene-(13)C(2) by High-Resolution FTIR Spectroscopy

The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum of the nu(12) fundamental band of ethylene-(13)C(2) ((13)C(2)H(4)) was recorded with an unapodized resolution of 0.004 cm(-1) in the frequency range from 1380 to 1500 cm(-1). Rovibrational constants for the upper state (nu(12)=1) up to five quartic and three sextic centrifugal distortion terms were derived for the first time by assigning and fitting a total of 1177 infrared transitions using a Watson's A-reduced Hamiltonian in the I(r) representation. The rms deviation of the fit was 0.00045 cm(-1). The ground state rovibrational constants were also determined for the first time by a fit of 738 combination differences from the present infrared measurements, with a rms deviation of 0.00060 cm(-1). The A-type nu(12) band with a band center at 1436.65411+/-0.00005 cm(-1) was found to be relatively free from local frequency perturbations. The inertial defect Delta(12) was found to be 0.24300+/-0.00002 u?(2). Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Photorefractive effect in the relaxor ferroelectric material 0.91Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.09PbTiO3

The photorefractive effect in a nominally undoped 0.91Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.09PbTiO3 single crystal is measured. We report what is, to our knowledge, the first observation of the photorefractive effect in Pb-based relaxor ferroelectric crystals. The crystal is grown by the flux solution method. Then it is cut into a 2 mm x 4 mm x 8 mm piece and electrically poled along the [111] direction. The coupling constant of the two-wave mixing is 17 cm(-1), and the normalized time constant under 1-W/cm(2) illumination is 12 s at a wave-length of 476 nm. The effective trap density is calculated as 5 x 10(16) cm(-3) from the Debye screening length under the assumption of Kukhtarev's band-transport model. The dominant carrier is identified to be holes from the direction of two-wave mixing energy transfer.     

High electric-field-induced strain of Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 -PbTiO 3 crystals and their application in multilayer actuators

Electric-field-induced strain behavior of differently oriented and componential (1-x)Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃xPbTiO₃ (PMNT) crystals was investigated. An optimum composition range (29%≤x≤31%) of 〈001〉-oriented PMNT crystals was ascertained for multilayer actuator applications, which exhibited high-strain and low-hysteresis behavior. The rhombohedral (monoclinic)–tetragonal phase-transition behavior in PMNT single crystals is dependent on their thermal and electric history, which markedly impacts on the strain performance of the crystals. In contrast to PZT-SF (doped PZT ceramics) multilayer actuators, the strain values for 20-layer PMNT actuators with individual element sizes of 6×6×0.3 mm³ are larger by more than five times at 20 kV/cm (0.373% compared to 0.072%), and 23-μm displacements can been achieved. Against 40-N load, the displacements are decreased to 20.2 μm. PACS 77.80.Bh; 77.80.-e; 77.65.Dq; 77.65.Ly; 77.22.-d     

High electric-field-induced strain of Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 crystals in multilayer actuators

An optimum composition range (29%≤x≤31%) of 〈001〉 oriented (1−x)Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-xPbTiO₃(PMNT) crystals was ascertained for multilayer actuator applications, which exhibited high-strain and low-hysteresis behavior. A −1.5 kV/cm negative E-field can be applied to PMNT ferroelectric samples with low hysteresis. Forty layer actuators with individual element sizes of 7×7×0.7 mm³ were fabricated under identical processing conditions using two different materials: (1) single crystal PMNT and (2) commercial PZT-SF ceramics. Under free-load conditions, 48 μm displacements can been achieved in PMNT actuators at electric fields ranging from −1.5 to 10 kV/cm, which is more than twice the displacement of the PZT-SF actuators driven from −10 to 10 kV/cm. Under 4 kg loading, the displacements in PMNT stain actuators are decreased to 42.5 μm.     

High-Resolution FTIR Spectrum of the nu(12) Band of trans-d(2)-Ethylene

The nu(12) band of trans-d(2)-ethylene (trans-C(2)H(2)D(2)) has been recorded with an unapodized resolution of 0.0024 cm(-1) in the frequency range of 1240-1360 cm(-1) by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. This band was found to be relatively free from any local frequency perturbations. By fitting a total of 1185 infrared transitions of nu(12) with a standard deviation of 0.00043 cm(-1) using a Watson's A-reduced Hamiltonian in the I(r) representation, a set of accurate rovibrational constants for v(12) = 1 state was derived. The nu(12) band is A type with a band center at 1298.03797 +/- 0.00004 cm(-1). Copyright 2000 Academic Press.