Theoretical and experimental investigations of the Mid-IR DFG tuning property based on fiber laser fundamental lights

The tuning properties for the mid-IR DFG laser based on uniform grating PPLN have been investigated with tunable YDFL and EDFL fundamental lights. Our results show that, for a fixed crystal temperature, the idler tunable range is less than 10 nm when the EDFL is tuned. Although the pump may be allowed to be tuned in its two QPM acceptance bands, the idler tunable range is still narrow for a fixed temperature. By optimizing the crystal temperature, however, the two pump QPM acceptance bands may be overlapped to form one broadband QPM band, which may be used to increase the idler tunable range to 175 nm near 3.4 μm region. The positions of the single signal and the two separate pump QPM acceptance bands can be continuously moved by adjusting the temperature, which may also be used for enhancing the idler tuning range. By tuning the EDFL while adjusting the temperature, a whole combined idler tuning range between 2.98 and 3.78 μm was experimentally obtained with three fixed pump wavelengths of 1.05, 1.08 and 1.11 μm. By tuning the YDFL in the two separate QPM acceptance bands, a tuning range of 690 nm has been demonstrated with only one fixed signal wavelength of 1.58 μm.     

Widely tunable difference frequency generation around 3.4 μm using index dispersion property of PPLN

In this paper, the wide difference frequency generation (DFG) tuning characteristics around 3.4 μm are investigated by using the index dispersion property of PPLN. With a ytterbium doped fiber laser (YDFL) and an erbium doped fiber laser (EDFL) as the fundamental light sources, our simulation results show that the quasi-phase matching (QPM) wavelength acceptance bandwidth (BW) for the pump is much larger than that for the signal. Although the positions of the broadened QPM pump bands vary with the poling period and the signal wavelength, the corresponding idler tuning ranges center around 3.4 μm. With a signal wavelength of 1.57 μm, an idler tuning range of greater than 170 nm is experimentally obtained in the 30 uniform grating PPLN. When the signal wavelength and the poling period are respectively changed to 1.55 and 29.50 μm, wide DFG tuning operations around 3.4 μm are also achieved with the crystal temperature adjusted to adapt the change.     

基于准相位匹配产生近中红外波段的特性分析

基于周期极化晶体的Sellmeier方程和准相位匹配理论,对准相位匹配光参变振荡器的调谐特性进行了理论分析.通过数值模拟计算,得到了PPRTA晶体光参变振荡的调谐特性与极化反转光栅周期、晶体温度和抽运光波长等参量的关系曲线.并且与PPKTP晶体和PPLN晶体光参变振荡器的调谐特性进行了比较,研究了三者的不同之处,得出了PPRTA晶体的参量调谐特性优于PPKTP晶体和PPLN晶体的结论,与国外已报道的实验数据相吻合.证实了PPRTA晶体是一种可以产生可调谐近中红外光的理想准相位匹配非线性光学晶体.     

Optical parametric oscillation in periodically poled lithium niobate driven by a diode-pumped Q-switched erbium fiber laser

We describe what is to our knowledge the first nanosecond periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) optical parametric oscillator (OPO) driven by a fiber laser. The source was frequency doubled by a PPLN sample before pumping a second, 20-mm-long, PPLN crystal. The OPO threshold was <10muJ, with pump depletions of as much as 45% and a tunable signal range of 945-1450 nm (1690-4450-nm idler range). We demonstrated 130-nm signal tuning by varying the pump wavelength and doubling crystal's temperature. Also, we achieved 15-nm tuning with all crystals at a constant temperature. The results demonstrate the potential of the fiber laser:PPLN combination for practical, versatile, and tunable sources.     

基于光学参量振荡器的可调谐红外激光的强度噪声特性

红外激光光源在微量气体、高分辨率光谱分析和量子光学研究等领域具有重要的应用.本文利用锁定单共振光学参量振荡器内腔标准具的方案获得了无跳模连续调谐的红外激光输出,理论和实验研究了红外激光的强度噪声特性,分析了影响强度噪声的因素.通过控制非线性晶体的温度和标准具调制信号实现了对红外激光强度噪声的抑制.当控制非线性晶体工作温度为60℃,内腔标准具调制信号为8 kHz时,单共振光学参量振荡器输出信号光和闲置光的强度噪声分别降低了11和8 dB.     

周期极化铌酸锂中通信波段纠缠双光子的波长管理方法

理论研究了周期极化铌酸锂晶体中通过自发参量下转换产生的纠缠双光子的波长管理方法.简并自发参量下转换产生的单色偏振纠缠双光子的波长,可以通过调整晶体的极化周期或工作温度自由地调节,特别是在加工好的晶体中极化周期是确定的,因而调整晶体的工作温度更加便捷.对于双色偏振纠缠双光子来说,不需改变入射的泵浦光以及晶体的极化结构,仅通过调节晶体的工作温度就可以实现o光光子和e光光子波长的严格交换.     

Collinear broadband optical parametric generation in periodically poled lithium niobate crystals by group velocity matching

Collinear broadband optical parametric generation (OPG) using periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystals were designed and experimentally demonstrated with the quasi-phase matching (QPM) periods of 21.5, 24.0, and 27.0 μm. The broad gain bandwidth was accomplished by choosing a specific set of the period and the pump wavelength that allows the group velocities of the signal and the idler to match close to the degeneracy point. OPG gain bandwidth and also the spectral region could be controlled by proper design of QPM period and pump wavelength. The total OPG gain bandwidth of 600, 900, and 1200 nm was observed for the PPLN devices with QPM periods of 21.5, 24.0, and 27.0 μm, respectively. We have also observed multiple color visible generation whenever the OPG spectrum was significantly broad. From the visible peaks of the three PPLN samples, it is found that broad gain bandwidth is crucial in the temperature-insensitive collinear simultaneous RGB generation from a single crystal.     

抽运光角度调谐准相位匹配光学参量振荡器的研究

针对利用周期极化晶体实现的抽运光角度调谐准相位匹配(QPM)光学参量振荡器(OPO)进行了系统的理论分析，给出了描述QPM OPO中抽运光旋转角与三波波长关系的精确公式和近轴公式.研究发现，对信号光单谐振的情况而言，抽运光与空闲光沿晶体x轴的同侧出射，而对空闲光单谐振而言，抽运光与信号光沿晶体x轴的同侧出射.另外，信号光单谐振下信号光与空闲光间的夹角要大于空闲光单谐振下两者间的夹角.更重要的是，信号光单谐振时的波长调谐速度也较空闲光单谐振时的大. 关键词： 准相位匹配 空闲光单谐振光学参量振荡器 抽运光角度调谐 调谐速度     

Parametric oscillator directly pumped by a 1.55-mum erbium-fiber laser

We report what is believed to be the first demonstration of an optical parametric oscillator directly pumped by the 1.55-mum output of an erbium-doped fiber laser. The oscillator, based on periodically poled lithium niobate, produced 8-muJ idler output near 3.8 mum at a 500-Hz repetition rate when it was pumped with 100-muJ 60-ns pulses at 1.55 mum . Temperature tuning of the 50-mm-long PPLN crystal gave signal and idler ranges of 2.55 to 2.7 mum and 3.65 to 3.96 mum , respectively, limited by mirror reflectivity. A signal-tuning range of 40 nm was observed for 13.5 nm of pump tuning with a fixed grating period and temperature. The optical parameter oscillator could be operated at low temperature with no sign of photorefractive damage.     

Study of quasi-phase matching wavelength acceptance bandwidth for periodically poled LiNbO3 crystal-based difference-frequency generation

The temperature tuning characteristics of quasi-phase matching (QPM) wavelength acceptance bandwidth in a uniform periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) based on difference-frequency generation (DFG) are studied theoretically and experimentally. This paper proposes a PPLN device consisting of several segments of different temperatures to obtain a more desirable performance for the QPM-DFG. The result shows that through the tuning of temperature, the bandwidth can be changed considerably and the method was proved suitable and accurate to calculate QPM wavelength acceptance bandwidth of DFG in a uniform PPLN crystal for temperatures between room temperature and 180 °C and mid-infrared (mid-IR) wavelengths ranging from 2.8 to 4.8 μm.     

Optical parametric oscillator pumped by relaxation oscillation pulses of a mechanically Q-switched Nd:YAG laser

We report the generation of mid-infrared pulsed radiation between 2.2 and 3 μm range using a singly-resonant optical parametric oscillator (SR-OPO) based on a 40-mm-long crystal of periodically-poled LiNbO₃ (PPLN) pumped by mechanically Q-switched pulses from a Nd:YAG laser, obtained by chopping the beam inside the laser resonator over a 1–10 kHz duty cycle. An appreciable reduction in pulse width as well as the number of relaxation oscillation pulses of the Nd:YAG pump laser is observed when the frequency of the Q-switch chopper is increased up to 10 kHz. Sub-nanosecond relaxation oscillation pulses of about 170–210 ns duration are generated under the width of the idler envelope varying from 4.6 to 8.55 μs. The same behavior is observed for the signal wave. A maximum extraction efficiency of 22 % is obtained for the idler, corresponding to 785 mW of output power at 10 kHz. The tuning of the signal and idler beams were performed by temperature variation of the PPLN crystal within 100–200 °C range.     

板条放大器同步泵浦的宽调谐MgO:PPLN中红外光参量振荡器（英）

搭建了Nd:YVO4/SESAM锁模激光器,采用LDA泵浦的Innoslab对其进行功率放大,最后同步泵浦MgO:PPLN实现了宽调谐皮秒中红外光参量运转。通过改变MgO:PPLN的温度和通道,实现了信号光1415~1557 nm、闲频光3362~4290 nm范围的宽调谐输出,其中最高的光光转换效率为17.5%。同步泵浦功率为16 W,脉冲重复频率为116.9 MHz时,同时获得1.33 W的1518 nm信号光和1.26 W的3558 nm闲频光输出。     

Optimally-output-coupled, 17.5 W,fiber-laser-pumped continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator

We present a stable, high-power, fiber-laser-pumped, continuous-wave (cw), singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (SRO) for the mid-infrared in an output-coupled (OC) configuration, providing 17.5 W of total output power at 61% extraction efficiency. Using a single-frequency, cw Yb fiber laser at 1064 nm and a 50-mm-long MgO:PPLN crystal, through optimization of signal output coupling we generate up to 9.8 W of signal power in the near-infrared together with 7.7 W of idler power for 28.6 W of pump, while in the absence of output coupling, 8.6 W of idler power is generated for the same pump power at 30% efficiency. The SRO is tunable over 360 nm in the idler range. The deployment of signal output coupling results in a total tuning of 513 nm (120 nm of signal, 393 nm of idler) over which watt-level output power can be extracted. Through careful control of thermal effects we achieve a long-term peak-to-peak idler power stability of 5% over 14 hours near room temperature. The output beams have TEM₀₀ spatial profile with M ²<1.28 for the idler and M ²<1.37 for the signal.     

Angle-tuned second-harmonic generation in periodically-poled lithium niobate

We investigated angular tuning of quasi-phase-matching (QPM) second-harmonic generation (SHG), in order to extend the tunable range of QPM and to combine the advantages of QPM and birefringence phase-matching. The direction of the input fundamental wave vector was detuned from the QPM grating vector along the crystallographic Z-axis of a periodically-poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal in the XY- and XZ-planes. A?larger tuning range of SHG was obtained for the detuning in the XZ-plane, continuously shifting the QPM peak of the fundamental wavelength from 1524 to 1595?nm by changing the detuning angle from 0° (parallel to X-axis as conventional QPM) to 23.2°.     

Low-threshold singly-resonant continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator based on MgO-doped PPLN

We present a 532 nm-pumped singly-resonant cw optical parametric oscillator based on MgO-doped PPLN with a minimum threshold pump power of 0.3 W. The OPO with a two-mirror standing-wave cavity is optimized by using a tunable diode laser on the path of the resonant signal beam. The maximum output power is 200 mW at an idler wavelength near 1330 nm at a pump power of 2 W. We report the degradation of the output power and beam characteristics at high pump power indicating a strong thermal lensing in the crystal. The continuous tuning range of the OPO is measured to be 800 MHz which is close to 90% of the free spectral range of the OPO cavity.     

Few‐cycle,broadband, mid‐infrared optical parametric oscillator pumped by a 20‐fs Ti:sapphire laser

A few‐cycle, broadband, singly‐resonant optical parametric oscillator (OPO) for the mid‐infrared based on MgO‐doped periodically‐poled LiNbO₃ (MgO:PPLN), synchronously pumped by a 20‐fs Ti:sapphire laser is reported. By using crystal interaction lengths as short as 250 µm, and careful dispersion management of input pump pulses and the OPO resonator, near‐transform‐limited, few‐cycle idler pulses tunable across the mid‐infrared have been generated, with as few as 3.7 optical cycles at 2682 nm. The OPO can be continuously tuned over 2179‐3732 nm (4589‐2680 cm^‐1) by cavity delay tuning, providing up to 33 mW of output power at 3723 nm. The idler spectra exhibit stable broadband profiles with bandwidths spanning over 422 nm (FWHM) recorded at 3732 nm. The effect of crystal length on spectral bandwidth and pulse duration is investigated at a fixed wavelength, confirming near‐transform‐limited idler pulses for all grating interaction lengths. By locking the repetition frequency of the pump laser to a radio‐frequency reference, and without active stabilization of the OPO cavity length, an idler power stability better than 1.6% rms over >2.75 hours is obtained when operating at maximum output power, in excellent spatial beam quality with TEM₀₀ mode profile. Photograph shows a multigrating MgO:PPLN crystal used as a nonlinear gain medium in the few‐cycle femtosecond mid‐IR OPO. The visible light is the result of non‐phase‐matched sum‐frequency mixing between the interacting beams.     

Efficient, high-power, ytterbium-fiber-laser-pumped picosecond optical parametric oscillator

We report a high-power picosecond optical parametric oscillator (OPO) synchronously pumped by a Yb fiber laser at 1.064 μm, providing 11.7 W of total average power in the near to mid-IR at 73% extraction efficiency. The OPO, based on a 50 mm MgO:PPLN crystal, is pumped by 20.8 ps pulses at 81.1 MHz and can simultaneously deliver 7.1 W of signal at 1.56 μm and 4.6 W of idler at 3.33 μm for 16 W of pump power. The oscillator has a threshold of 740 mW, with maximum signal power of 7.4 W at 1.47 μm and idler power of 4.9 W at 3.08 μm at slope efficiencies of 51% and 31%, respectively. Wavelength coverage across 1.43-1.63 μm (signal) and 4.16-3.06 μm (idler) is obtained, with a total power of ~11 W and an extraction efficiency of ~68%, with pump depletion of ~78% maintained over most of the tuning range. The signal and idler output have a single-mode spatial profile and a peak-to-peak power stability of ±1.8% and ±2.9% over 1 h at the highest power, respectively. A signal pulse duration of 17.3 ps with a clean single-peak spectrum results in a time-bandwidth product of ~1.72, more than four times below the input pump pulses.     

Frequency-agile kilohertz repetition-rate optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled lithium niobate

We report kilohertz repetition-rate pulse-to-pulse wavelength tuning from 3.22 to 3.7 mum in a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) optical parametric oscillator (OPO). Rapid tuning over 400 cm(-1) with random wavelength accessibility is achieved by rotation of the pump beam angle by no more than 24 mrad in the PPLN crystal by use of an acousto-optic beam deflector. Over the entire tuning range, a near-transform-limited OPO bandwidth can be obtained by means of injection seeding with a single-frequency 1.5-mum laser diode. The frequency agility, high repetition rate, and narrow bandwidth of this mid-IR PPLN OPO make it well suited as a lidar transmitter source.     

Low-threshold, high-efficiency, high-repetition-rate optical parametric generator based on periodically poled LiNbO3

We report a high-repetition-rate optical parametric generator (OPG) with a periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) crystal pumped by an acousto-optically Q-switched CW-diode-end-pumped Nd:YVO_4 laser. For the maximum 1064nm pump power of 970mW, the maximum conversion efficiency is 32.9% under the conditions of 250℃, 1064nm pulse repetition rate of 22.6kHz and pulse width of 12ns, and the PPLN OPG threshold in the collinear case is less than 23.7μJ. The output power increases with the increase of the crystal temperature. The 1485－1553nm signal wave and 3383－3754nm idler wave are obtained by changing the temperature and the angle of the PPLN crystal.     

波长可调谐的瓦级连续橙红光激光器

介绍了基于复合腔结构的全固态波长可调谐的连续橙红色激光的输出特性。该复合腔由一个使用周期极化晶体MgO:PPLN的信号光单谐振光参量振荡器和一个LD侧面泵浦Nd:GdVO₄晶体的1 062.9 nm基频光谐振腔构成。s-偏振1 062.9 nm泵浦光抽运单谐振光参量振荡器产生s-偏振信号光腔内独立振荡。通过复合腔结构的优化设计,使独立振荡的p-偏振1 062.9 nm基频光与s-偏振信号光在2个子腔的重叠区内通过Ⅱ类角度匹配KTP晶体的腔内和频过程获得橙红色激光。当MgO:PPLN晶体的调谐温度从30 ℃上升至200 ℃时,s-偏振信号光的中心波长产生红移,导致其与p-偏振1 062.9 nm基频光和频产生的橙红色激光的中心波长从620.2 nm红移至628.9 nm。同时测得中红外波段闲频光的中心波长从3 714.2 nm蓝移至3 438.3 nm。在30 ℃最低设定温度时, 中心波长620.2 nm的橙红色激光和中心波长3 714.2 nm的闲频光最大连续输出功率分别达到2.0 W和2.9 W。