Passively mode-locked Nd: YAG and ruby lasers with high brightness per unit active volume

Passively mode-locked Nd: YAG (at room temperature) and ruby (at ≈100 K) lasers with unstable confocal resonators are described. They generated ultrashort pulses with a single pulse energy up to 50 mJ (Nd: YAG) and 50–100 mJ (ruby) and duration ≈40 ps. The active volume was only 5–10 cm³. A beam divergence ≈3 x 10^-4 rad close to the diffraction limit and high brightness of radiation ≈10¹⁷ W cm^-2 srad^-1 were obtained.     

Dual-polarization mode-locked Nd:YAG laser

A mode-locked solid-state laser containing a birefringent element is shown to emit synchronously two frequency combs associated to the two polarization eigenstates of the cavity. An analytical model predicts the polarization evolution of the pulse train, which is determined by the adjustable intracavity birefringence. Experiments realized with a Nd:YAG laser passively mode locked by a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror are in perfect agreement with the model. Locking between the two combs arises for particular values of their frequency difference, e.g., half the repetition rate, and the pulse train polarization sequence is then governed by the relative overall phase offset of the two combs.     

Additive pulse mode-locked Nd: YAG laser

Additive pulse mode locking applied to lamppumped Nd: YAG lasers results in an attractive source of picosecond pulses at 1.06 m or 1.32 m with average powers at the Watt level. We provide detailed information on construction and operation and give data on performance. A modified active stabilization scheme allows not only improved stability of operation but also insight into the dynamics of pulse formation.     

Passively mode-locked 914-nm Nd:YVO4 laser

We demonstrate what is to our knowledge the first mode-locked Nd:YVO4 laser operating on the 4F3/2-4I9/2 transition at 914 nm. Using a semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror for passive mode locking, we have obtained 3-ps pulses at a repetition rate of 233.8 MHz. The laser is based on a standard delta cavity and is pumped by a Ti:sapphire laser. We obtained an average output power of 42 mW through one mirror and an accumulated output power of approximately 150 mW (through all cavity mirrors) at a pump power of 1.4 W.     

A high-power subpicosecond distributed feedback dye laser system pumped by a mode-locked Nd: YAG laser

The design and operation characteristics of a distributed feedback dye laser (DFDL) system pumped by the second harmonic of a flashlamp pumped mode-locked Nd: YAG laser are described. The DFDL oscillator facilitates a large tuning range with nearly Fourier limited pulse durations of about 1.6 ps. The combined action of saturated absorption and amplification results in a pulse shortening to about 600 fs, with small fluctuations in the pulse duration. Output pulse energies of more than 400 J are achieved, corresponding to a peak power of more than 650 MW. Since the dye amplifiers are pumped by pulses of only 25 ps duration the amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) is very low, typically less than 10^–4.     

Pulse width fluctuations in mode-locked Nd: YAG lasers

Using a nonlinear optical technique we have measured pulse width fluctuations in a passively mode-locked Nd: YAG laser.     

Compact high-power end-pumped Nd:YAG laser

We present a compact diode- and end-pumped Nd:YAG laser for material processing with an output power of 238 W, an optical-to-optical efficiency of 48% and a slope efficiency of 60%. This is to the best of our knowledge the highest optical efficiency for a high-power end-pumped Nd:YAG laser.     

Holographic variable attenuators for high-power Nd:YAG lasers

Within the framework of the Eureka project EU-226: High Power Solid-State Lasers, we have investigated the possibility of making variable attenuators for industrial Nd:YAG lasers using holographic optical elements. Holographic variable attenuator (HVA) demonstrators were realized in fused silica for compatibility with multi-kilowatt Nd:YAG lasers. They were 40 mm long and 13 mm wide with transmission varying from 67% to 98%. Using two cascaded HVA, it was possible to vary the transmission from 44% to 97% using a probe beam of 850 m. Moreover, no noticeable apodization was found on a 5-mm-diameter laser beam.     

二极管激光侧面泵浦的全固态主动锁模Nd:YAG激光器

利用优化的腔设计,使谐振腔中增益介质中有大的模体积,并在高功率泵浦下具有高的热稳定性;采用热补偿环形径向侧面泵浦模块技术进行了连续NdYAG主动声光锁模的实验研究, 利用自行设计的锁相环反馈电路,获得输出功率10 W的稳定的锁模脉冲输出.     

二极管激光侧面泵浦的全固态主动锁模Nd:YAG激光器

利用优化的腔设计,使谐振腔中增益介质中有大的模体积,并在高功率泵浦下具有高的热稳定性;采用热补偿环形径向侧面泵浦模块技术进行了连续Nd:YAG主动声光锁模的实验研究, 利用自行设计的锁相环反馈电路,获得输出功率10 W的稳定的锁模脉冲输出。     

Electro-optically controlled mode-locked Nd: YAG laser system

An actively Q-controlled and mode-locked Nd: YAG laser system is described It uses three Pockels cells to obtain several modes of operation. Single output pulses in the range from 100 ps to 50 ns can be reliably generated. A repetition rate of 10 Hz and jitter in pulse appearance of better than ±50 ns was obtained. The amplified pulse energy was in the range 10–50 mJ.     

Passively mode-locked Nd:GGG laser with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror

The mode-locking operation of the Nd:GGG crystal with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) was demonstrated. Continuous wave (CW) mode-locking was obtained with the pulse duration of 11 ps and the pulse repetition rate of 40.38 MHz. At 7 W of pump power, the maximum average output power of 1.1 W was obtained with the slope efficiency of 18.1%.     

Passively Q-switched Nd3+:YAG laser with corner cube

A passively Q-switched Nd3+:YAG laser with corner cube is theoretically and experimentally studied. We analyze the polarization variation in cavity and simulate the peak power, pulse energy and pulse width changed with the rotation angle of corner cube numerically. An experiment is made to verify the theoretical results. With rotating the angle of corner cube about the axis the variation range of peak power is 1.77 MW (from 10.36 to 8.59 MW), and that of pulse energy is 14.9 mJ (from 159.5 to 174.4 mJ), the fluctuation of pulse width is 2.95 ns. The experimental results agree with the theoretical analysis to the extent of variation rules. The most dynamic to static energy ratio of 62.5% is achieved.     

Passively mode-locked Nd:LuVO(4) laser with a GaAs wafer

We report on the passive mode locking of a diode-pumped Nd:LuVO(4) laser with a GaAs wafer as output coupler. Using the interference modulation effect of the GaAs wafer, high-power continuous-wave mode locking with a pulse width of about 7.1 ps and an average output power of 3.11 W was achieved. Our result shows that Nd:LuVO(4) could be an excellent gain medium for diode-pumped high-power mode-locked lasers.     

Q-switched and mode-locked diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser with an LT-GaAs

Simultaneous Q-switching and mode-locking (QML) is accomplished in a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser using low-temperature GaAs (LT-GaAs) as the saturable absorber, which also acts as an output coupler at the same time. The repetition rate of the Q-switched envelope increased from 25 to 40 kHz as the pump power increased from 2.2 to 6.9 W. The mode-locked pulses inside the Q-switched pulse envelope had a repetition rate of 714 MHz. A maximum average output power of 770 mW was obtained.     

Transmission properties of all-silica fibres for high-power Nd:YAG lasers

The transmission properties of two different types of all-silica fibres, step index and graded-index fibres, are investigated using a multimode high-power cw Nd:YAG rod laser. The reflections from the fibre surface back into the laser cavity affect the laser power and the beam parameters, waist diameter and divergence. A set-up for simultaneously measuring these values in front of and behind a fibre is presented. The maximum laser power transmitted by fibres is dependent upon the beam parameters, the fibre design and the surface conditions. An upper limit for the maximum divergence which can be coupled into a fibre with a certain numerical aperture without loss is given. The beam parameters behind the fibre, related to the input parameters, are presented.     

Passively Q-switched a-cut Nd:GdVO4 self-Raman laser with Cr:YAG

A passively Q-switched a-cut Nd:GdVO₄ self-Raman solid-state laser with Cr:YAG saturable absorber was firstly demonstrated. The first Stokes at 1173 nm was successfully obtained. At the maximum incident pump power, the pulse width was about 1.8 ns and the repetition rate was 27.5 kHz. 586.5 nm yellow laser output was also realized by use of an LBO frequency doubling crystal.     

Intracavity frequency-tripling of actively mode-locked diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser

We report the first diode-pumped solid-state laser operating in cw-mode-locked regime and simultaneously achieving intracavity frequency-tripling. This laser provide UV picosecond pulses (λ=355 nm) of 10 ps duration with 0.5 mW average power at 150 MHz repetition rate. A different set of adjustments gave rise to a Q-switched mode-locked regime. Trains of hundred UV pulses of 60 ps duration and 4 W peak power were produced in this latter case at 50 kHz repetition rate. Received: 12 October 1998 / Revised version: 12 December 1998 / Published online: 26 May 1999     

用于锁模Nd：YAG激光器的单脉冲开关

 锁模Nd:YAG激光器选取单脉冲时，通常采用KD*P普克尔盒。 波长1.06μm的激光半波电压为6.6kV。应用冷阴极闸流管KN-22作为开关线路比较广泛，但近年来我们改用MOS场效应管线路代替KN-22，该线路性能稳定可靠，输出脉冲幅度为－6.6～－8kV，脉冲宽度5～10ns可调，触发晃动小于0.5ns，触发延时30～40ns，单脉冲选出率为100％。经长时间使用未发现异常，此线路也可在削波器及脉冲剪切等技术中应用。     

Passively mode-locked Raman laser

We report on the observation of a mode-locked laser generated with a crystalline whispering gallery mode resonator pumped with a continuous wave laser. Optical pumping of the resonator generates an optical frequency comb with phase locked components at the Raman offset of the resonator host material. Phase locking of the modes is confirmed via measurement of the radio-frequency beat note produced by the comb on a fast photodiode. Neither the conventional Kerr comb nor hyperparametric oscillation is observed when the comb is present. We present a theoretical explanation of the effect.