Optical feedback characteristics in a helium neon laser with a birefringent internal cavity

The output characteristics of optical feedback in a helium neon laser with a birefringent internal cavity are studied systematically in five different regions of the gain curve for the two orthogonally polarized modes. When the laser operates in the two end regions of the laser gain curve, one of the two orthogonally polarized modes will be a leading one in optical feedback. Strong mode competition can be observed. However, when the laser operates in the middle region of the laser gain curve, the two modes can oscillate equally with optical feedback. Besides the intensity of the two polarized lights, the total light intensity is also studied at the same time. M-shaped optical feedback curves are found. Particularly, when the average intensities of the two lights are comparable, the intensity modulation curve of the total light is doubled, which can be used to improve the resolution of an optical feedback system.[第一段]     

腔调谐过程中激光器中两垂直偏振光的回馈特性

腔调谐过程中同时对HeNe激光器进行光回馈，设定回馈镜驱动信号的周期远小于腔调谐信号的周期，此时便获得腔调谐过程中谐振腔中两垂直偏振光的回馈信号. 回馈的形式分为仅垂直光回馈、仅平行光回馈以及两光同时回馈三种情况. 当两光同时回馈时，两模式间的模竞争较弱，两光回馈曲线有一定的相位差，该相位差小于180°，两光总体波动幅度变化趋势相反. 当仅单偏振光回馈时，两模式间的模竞争较强，两光回馈曲线始终反相，而且两光波动幅度变化趋势相同，此时可以将两光强度信号相减以实现成倍提高回馈信号幅度，从而提高系统灵敏度. 尤其仅垂直光回馈时，两光各自光强波动幅值都较大，并且在较大的增益曲线范围内保持光强波动幅值无明显变化，该特性可用于提高回馈系统的抗干扰能力，减少因激光功率漂移而引起的错误计数. 关键词： 自混合干涉 光回馈 模竞争 位移测量     

Strong optical feedback in birefringent dual frequency laser

Strong optical feedback in a birefringent dual frequency He--Ne laser with a high reflectivity feedback mirror has been investigated for the first time. The output characteristics of two orthogonally polarized modes are demonstrated in two different optical feedback cases: one is for both modes being fed back and the other is for only one of the modes being fed back. Strong mode competition can be observed between the two modes with strong optical feedback. And when one mode's intensity is near its maximum, the other mode is nearly extinguished. When both modes are fed back into the laser cavity, the mode competition is stronger than when only one mode is fed back. The difference in initial intensity between the two orthogonally polarized modes plays an important role in the mode competition, which has been experimentally and theoretically demonstrated.     

A birefringent cavity He－Ne laser and optical feedback

Strong modes competition makes only one of o-light and e-light oscillate in a birefringent dual-frequency laser when the angle between the crystalline axis and the laser beam is nearly zero. When the oscillated mode is in a different part of the gain curve, the detected intensity curves of o-light and e-light are quite different in the existence of optical feedback. The curves are divided into five cases. Three cases of the experimental results can be used for direction discrimination. The polarization characteristics of the birefringent cavity He－Ne laser are also discussed without optical feedback.     

External optical feedback effects in a frequency locking dual frequency laser

We present a systematic study of external optical feedback effects on the output characteristics of the two orthogonally polarized modes in a frequency locking dual frequency laser. Accompanied by the change of the external cavity length, the length of the resonance cavity is changed very slowly to set the oscillating modes sweeping across the laser gain curve. Comprehensive results are obtained and a strong mode competition is observed. Particularly, when the laser runs in the middle region of the gain curve, which mode can oscillate is determined by the movement direction of the external feedback mirror. Based on the phenomenon, a displacement sensor with directional discrimination is proposed and its capability is also discussed.     

光回馈Nd:YAG激光器中的多模跳变现象

研究了Nd:YAG激光器中光回馈引起的多模跳变现象.光回馈调制了激光器不同纵模的阈值增益，阈值增益最低的纵模获得振荡.在外腔调谐过程中，当振荡模式的阈值增益高于相邻模式的阈值增益时产生模跳变，光强调制曲线出现相应的波动.各跳变纵模在增益曲线上的位置不同，导致模跳变点位置不同，相应的光强调制曲线也不同.越靠近中心频率的纵模，其光强信号峰值越大，该纵模持续振荡时间也就越长.当两跳变纵模关于中心频率对称时，其光强信号峰值相等，纵模持续振荡时间也相等. 关键词： 自混合干涉 模跳变 光回馈 阈值增益     

Optical feedback in a Zeeman-birefringence HeNe laser and its application in ranging

The optical feedback characteristics in a Zeeman-birefringence HeNe laser have been studied systematically when the external cavity varies in a large range. The intensity variations of the two orthogonally polarized lights are observed during the laser cavity tuning in the dual frequency laser. When the external cavity length is an integral multiple of the laser cavity length, either polarized light's intensity modulation depth varies not obviously when the laser works in dual modes conditions or single mode condition. But when the external cavity length is far away from an integral multiple of the laser cavity length and the laser works in different dual modes conditions, polarized light's intensity modulation depth varies obviously. This characteristic can guide us to tune the laser to work in single mode condition to improve the sensitivity of the optical system when the system is used for a large displacement measurement. It can also be used for measuring the position of the target mirror. The theoretical analysis is in good agreement with experimental results.     

双频激光回馈位移测量研究

提出了一种基于双频激光回馈效应的位移测量系统，并在理论和实验两方面进行了研究.实验中对激光器输出功率变化进行了探测，同时对两正交偏振光的光强变化进行了探测.研究发现当被测物体移动时，激光器输出功率受到调制，物体每移动半个光波长时，回馈信号为调制深度相等的两峰，系统分辨率提高了一倍，达到四分之一光波长.当物体运动方向改变时，两正交偏振光的光强变化顺序也随之改变，可以实现物体位移方向的判断.理论分析及模拟结果与实验结果相符合.研究表明该位移传感系统具有结构简单、分辨率高、可判向、测量范围大、可工作于强回馈区等优点. 关键词： 激光回馈 位移传感 自混合干涉 双频激光器     

Self-mixing interference effects in orthogonally polarized dual-frequency Nd:YAG lasers at different feedback levels

The self-mixing interference effects are investigated in birefringence dual-frequency Nd:YAG lasers at different optical feedback levels. For weak feedback level, both of the intensities of the two modes are sinusoidally modulated by external cavity length with a feedback period of half laser wavelength. While these two modes can only coexist in a part of feedback period at moderate feedback level, i.e., one mode reaches its maximum intensity, the other one extinguishes. At high feedback level, complete polarization switching (one mode oscillating, the other one extinguishing) between two polarized modes is observed, and every switching corresponds to quarter-wavelength variation of external cavity length. Furthermore, two feedback schemes, i.e., isotropic optical feedback (IOF) and polarized optical feedback (POF) are taken into account. The theoretical analysis based on a model of two-mode-coupled laser is presented, which is in good agreement with experimental results. Our results can advance the research of self-mixing interferometer of orthogonally polarized dual-frequency lasers.     

A laser feedback interferometer with an oscillating feedback mirror

A method is proposed to solve the problem of direction discrimination for laser feedback interferometers.By vibrating the feedback mirror with a small-amplitude and high-frequency sine wave,laser intensity is modulated accordingly.The modulation amplitude can be extracted using a phase sensitive detector(PSD).When the feedback mirror moves,the PSD output shows a quasi-sine waveform similar to a laser intensity interference fringe but with a phase difference of approximately ±π/2.If the movement direction of the feedback mirror changes,the phase difference sign reverses.Therefore,the laser feedback interferometer offers a potential application in displacement measurement with a resolution of 1/8 wavelength and in-time direction discrimination.Without using optical components such as polarization beam splitters and wave plates,the interferometer is very simple,easy to align,and less costly.     

Optical feedback characteristics in a dual-frequency laser during laser cavity tuning

The optical feedback characteristics in a Zeeman-birefringence dual-frequency laser are studied during the laser cavity tuning in three different kinds of optical feedback conditions: (i) only // -light is fed back; (ii) only ⊥-light is fed back; (iii) both lights are fed back.A compact displacement sensor is designed using the experimental result that there is a nearly 90 degrees phase delay between the two lights' cosine optical feedback signals when both lights are fed back into the laser cavity.The priority order that the two lights' intensity curves appear can be used for direction discrimination. The resolution of the displacement sensor is at least 79 nm, and the sensor can discriminate the target's moving direction easily.     

Optical feedback signals involving the misalignment information

The optical feedback characteristics of the laser intensities at both emission directions are studied in a single-mode HeNe laser under low optical feedback strength. The sign inversion phenomenon can be observed when the photodetector at the main emission direction only receives the main light spot. There is no sign inversion phenomenon but intensity branch phenomena or fringe frequency-doubled phenomenon when the photodetector at the main emission direction receives both the light spots. When the optical feedback signal has intensity branch, it involves the misalignment information of the external cavity which can be used to detect the angular pitching of the reflector. The fringe frequency-doubled phenomenon can be used to double the resolution of an optical feedback system.     

A triple function linear fiber laser with passive mode-locking and continuous-wave single-wavelength and multiwavelength lasing

We propose a fiber laser that can operate with passive mode-locking pulse output, continuous single-wavelength emission, and continuous multiwavelength emission. It consists of a nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) in a linear cavity. The NOLM is used to induce different kinds of intensity-dependent feedback, which determine the operation mode of the laser. We have experimentally demonstrated that the fiber laser can easily be switched between the operation modes. The results may find useful applications in optical communication and fiber sensing.     

外腔延时反馈半导体激光器混沌偏振可调控制方法研究

提出外腔延时反馈半导体激光器混沌偏振可调控制方法,分别建立了垂直正交偏振延时双反馈、同偏振面方向延时双反馈以及任意可调偏振延时双反馈激光动力学物理模型. 通过调节激光器外腔光路中的平面镜和光衰减器可控制一平面偏振反馈光的延时时间及光反馈量,或调节一偏振反馈光的偏振面到另一个偏振反馈光的偏振面方向上或者到任意偏振方向都可进行激光混沌控制. 数值结果证明该方法可以控制激光混沌到单周期态、多周期态等,还发现该控制可使激光器同时呈现偏振周期振荡、偏振反周期振荡、稳定三种动力学行为等. 关键词： 混沌 控制 激光器 偏振     

激光回馈引起的微片Nd:YAG激光器频差调制

微片激光器由于自身的内应力会输出频率分裂的正交偏振的两个模式.研究了回馈对微片激光器频差的影响.研究发现:在回馈的作用下微片激光器的频差大小呈现出以初始频差为中心的类正弦的频差调制,周期为λ/2;频差调制曲线的幅度与回馈水平成正比,但是当回馈水平过强时会出现偏振态跳变,从而使频差消失;在一定的回馈外腔范围内,频差调制曲线的幅度与初始频差亦成正比.并利用复合腔模型和激光器的自洽理论进行了理论分析和模拟,所得结果与实验结果相符.此调制现象在精密测量领域有潜在应用.     

外腔镜非线性运动对激光回馈应力测量系统精度的影响及修正

基于激光的回馈效应可实现光学材料应力分布的测量, 而系统外腔镜的非线性运动会引起测量结果的误差, 影响系统的精度. 利用高精度Nd:YAG激光回馈干涉仪对外腔镜的位移随时间的变化进行测量, 采用高次拟合的方式得到位移与时间函数关系, 并利用三镜腔等效模型的调谐曲线方程, 对非线性运动引入的应力测量误差进行计算, 实现对系统精度的修正. 结果表明: 外腔镜运动方向不同, 引起的误差呈现相反的变化趋势; 将不同方向的测量结果进行平均, 可减小系统的测量误差. 分析了外腔镜非线性运动带来的误差对系统测量精度的影响, 提出了测量误差修正方法, 对提高系统的测量精度具有重要意义.     

An omnidirectional 3D sensor with line laser scanning

An active omnidirectional vision owns the advantages of the wide field of view (FOV) imaging, resulting in an entire 3D environment scene, which is promising in the field of robot navigation. However, the existing omnidirectional vision sensors based on line laser can measure points only located on the optical plane of the line laser beam, resulting in the low-resolution reconstruction. Whereas, to improve resolution, some other omnidirectional vision sensors with the capability of projecting 2D encode pattern from projector and curved mirror. However, the astigmatism property of curve mirror causes the low-accuracy reconstruction. To solve the above problems, a rotating polygon scanning mirror is used to scan the object in the vertical direction so that an entire profile of the observed scene can be obtained at high accuracy, without of astigmatism phenomenon. Then, the proposed method is calibrated by a conventional 2D checkerboard plate. The experimental results show that the measurement error of the 3D omnidirectional sensor is approximately 1 mm. Moreover, the reconstruction of objects with different shapes based on the developed sensor is also verified.     

Linewidth narrowing caused by optical feedback in a multi-mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser

We have studied experimentally spectral characteristics of a multi-mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser that is subject to optical feedback. Appropriate alignment of the feedback mirror can suppress higher-order modes and significantly decrease the spectral linewidth of the laser.     

Polarization switching in a quasi-isotropic microchip Nd:YAG laser induced by optical feedback

This paper demonstrates the influence of external optical feedback on the polarization state of longitudinal modes in quasi-isotropic microchip Nd:YAG lasers. Under optical feedback, the polarization state of longitudinal modes in quasi-isotropic lasers relies strongly on the intracavity anisotropy loss and mode competition. When the intracavity anisotropy loss is small, external optical feedback can cause polarization switching and strong mode competition between two orthogonal linearly polarized eigenstates of one laser longitudinal mode, which leads to the distortion of laser intensity modulation waveform. The polarization switching is independent of the initial external cavity length. By increasing the intracavity anisotropy loss, one polarization eigenstate can be suppressed and the laser works in single-polarization state. A theoretical analysis based on the compound cavity model is presented, which is in good agreement with the experimental results. The results offer guidance to the development of laser feedback interferometers.     

Anisotropic optical feedback of single frequency intra-cavity He--Ne laser

This paper presents the anisotropic optical feedback of a single frequency intra-cavity He--Ne laser. A novel phenomenon was discovered that the laser output an elliptical polarized frequency instead of the initial linear polarized one. Two intensities with a phase difference were detected, both of which were modulated in the form of cosine wave and a fringe shift corresponds to a λ/2 movement of the feedback mirror. The phase difference can be continuously modulated by the wave plate in the external cavity. Frequency stabilization was used to stabilize the laser frequency so as to enlarge the measuring range and improve the measurement precision. This anisotropic optical feedback system offers a potential displacement measurement technology with the function of subdivision of λ/2 and in-time direction judgment. The three-mirror Fabry--Perot cavity model is used to present the experimental results. Given the lack of need of lasing adjustment, this full intra-cavity laser can significantly improve the simplicity and stability of the optical feedback system.