Numerical simulation of a CW-pumped Cr:YAG passively Q-switched Yb:YAG pulsed laser

A general model of a CW-pumped passively Q-switched laser is presented which considers the pump power and excitation state of the absorber. The recovery time of the absorber is affected by the Q-switched laser pulse length and repetition rate, which results in changes of the output power, peak power and pulse duration of a CW-pumped passively Q-switched solid-state laser. At low pump power, the final inversion population density alters slowly by a small amount and the effect of the absorber's finite recovery time on laser output energy can be ignored. At high pump power, the final inversion population density increases quickly with pump power increase and the output energy decreases greatly. Simulation results of a CW-pumped, Cr:YAG Q-switched, Yb:YAG laser are reported. The numerical simulation results agree with the theoretical analytical analysis.     

Thermal lensing of diode side-pumped solid-state lasers

The pump energy distribution in a diode side-pumped solid-state laser, is an overlap of propagating Gaussian beams. A simple model has been developed to calculate the thermal focal length of a diode side-pumped solid-state laser, which is based on a thermal model with a Gaussian heat density in any cross section of a laser rod. It can be seen that as the waists of pump beams increase, the energy distribution tends to be uniform and the thermal focal length tends to be long, which means a smaller thermal focusing.     

Backward Raman amplification in a plasma waveguide

Backward Raman amplification of a short laser pulse in a plasma waveguide is demonstrated. With a guided seed pulse of 0.8-microJ energy and a pump pulse of 345-mJ energy in a 9-mm-long optically preformed plasma waveguide, 910-fold energy amplification is achieved. Heating of the plasma by the long pump pulse is identified to be a key issue for plasma-waveguide-based backward Raman amplifiers.     

中红外超连续谱在氟化物光纤中的产生

为获得高功率全光纤中红外超连续谱,采用自制的掺Er锁模光纤激光器作为种子源,激光经过两级放大至1.67W,泵浦氟化物光纤,获得光谱覆盖1000~2400nm的超连续光谱;光谱宽度随着泵浦功率的增加而展宽,当输出功率达到1.21W时,转换效率为72%,并且产生的超连续谱被强烈的调制,在多个波长点处谱功率密度调制到0mW/nm,但调制波长与泵浦功率无关。     

大能量全固态再生放大器研究进展

在固体激光脉冲放大器中,再生放大器具有增益高、光束质量好以及结构简单等优点,得到了广泛的关注和应用。经过几十年的不断发展,再生放大器已经能够实现数百mJ脉冲能量以及数kW均值功率的稳定输出。增益材料特性、腔型结构、泵浦能力、热效应、元器件性能等诸多方面都会影响再生放大器的输出特性,其中增益材料特性是最根本的因素。由于特性不同,基于不同增益材料体系的再生放大器在结构和功能上都会有较大的差异。基于不同的材料体系,介绍了各类体系下的再生放大器在发展过程中遇到的关键共性问题,以及几类典型的再生放大器及其特点。讨论了再生放大器未来的发展趋势。     

Extractable energy from erbium-ytterbium co-doped pulsed fiber amplifiers and lasers

An analytic model is developed for evaluating the extractable energy from high energy pulsed erbium-ytterbium co-doped fiber amplifiers and lasers. The energy extraction capabilities under the limitation of spurious lasing, due to amplified spontaneous emission (ASE), are mapped for various numerical apertures, single and multi transverse mode evolution and operating wavelengths. The model provides an assessment for the maximum pulse energy that can be extracted from a given erbium-ytterbium co-doped fiber. In addition, the model can be used to determine the repetition rate and optimal length, under which the laser source will be optimally operated in order to achieve a required extracted energy, without spurious lasing. The results show a clear advantage in using 915 nm wavelength pump source over 975 nm, at high average power operation, due to augmented 1 μm ASE at 975 nm pump wavelength, as a result of the Yb³⁺ population inversion.     

组合式钕玻璃片状激光放大器增益性能的动态模拟

用随时间变化的氙灯辐射光谱模型,建立了组合式钕玻璃片状激光放大器动态增益特性的模拟程序,实现了从氙灯放电到引出激光的全过程动态模拟,可用于片状激光放大器的优化设计.研究了:1)放大器在不同的抽运条件下水平方向的增益均匀性,当氙灯爆炸系数比较高时,自发辐射放大优先使片的边缘产生消抽运作用,增益分布变得不均匀,通光口径的中央处增益较大;2)片厚度和掺杂浓度对增益性能的影响,在相同的抽运条件下,储能通量由片厚度与掺杂浓度的乘积决定,给出了储能通量和小信号增益随片厚度与掺杂浓度的乘积的变化关系 关键词： 钕玻璃激光放大器 储能密度 增益特性     

High efficiency diode-pumped slab oscillator and amplifier for space-based application

The design and performance of conduction-cooled, laser diode-pumped oscillator and amplifier slab laser featuring high efficiency, high pulse energy and high beam quality for space-based application are reported. The oscillator was a diode-pumped Q-Switched Nd:YAG slab laser using unstable resonator, and the amplifiers were two zig-zag Nd:YAG slabs based on a side-pumped slab geometry. A near diffraction-limited output of 450 mJ in a 10 ns pulse at a repetition rate of 20 Hz was obtained, corresponding to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of over 20%.     

Prospects for increasing average power of optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers via multi-beam pumping

We demonstrate optical parametric amplification of broadband chirped pulses in BBO crystal pumped by several intersecting beams extracted from independent laser amplifiers. The energy of amplified signal ranged from 0.23 to 0.72 mJ depending on a number of pump beams used as well as pumping configuration employed. The conversion efficiency dependence on intersection angles of pump beams is revealed and modeling of interplay of interacting waves is presented.     

Development of a high-pulse-energy Q-switched Tm-doped double-clad fluoride fiber laser and its application to the pumping of mid-IR lasers

A diode-pumped Q-switched Tm-doped double-clad fluoride fiber laser is reported providing up to 90 microJ pulse energy (160 ns, 100 kHz, i.e., 9 W of average power). The dependence of the fiber laser's repetition rate on pump power and modulator repetition rate was investigated. By amplification even higher pulse energies of 410 microJ could be generated. In a second stage of the setup the Q-switched fiber laser serves as a pump for a gain-switched tunable Cr2+:ZnSe laser. The pulse energies reported are to the author's knowledge the highest generated by Tm-doped fluoride fiber lasers or amplifiers today.     

高功率激光放大器反激光能流分布的模拟

从Frantz-Nodvik模型出发,采用包含弛豫作用的速率方程组,将放大器对反激光的放大当作多程放大处理,模拟计算了光路中反激光的能流分布。光路为钕玻璃放大系统,激光脉宽1.0 ns,输出能量2.5kJ。放大器剩余增益的较大差异导致光路中各个元件反激光能流密度分布显著不同。与使用1级φ70 mm棒状放大器相比,采用2级φ70 mm棒状放大器时反激光能流相对集中,具有潜在的破坏危险。     

窄线宽纳秒脉冲光纤拉曼放大器的理论模型和数值分析

窄线宽纳秒脉冲光纤拉曼放大器在非线性频率变换、遥感探测和量子信息等领域有广泛的应用前景.综合考虑受激拉曼散射(stimulated Raman scattering,SRS)、受激布里渊散射(stimulated Brillouin scattering,SBS)、自相位调制(self-phase modulation)和交叉相位调制(cross-phase modulation)等非线性效应,建立了窄线宽纳秒脉冲光纤拉曼放大器的非线性动力学模型.仿真分析了放大器中脉冲激光的时频演化特性,对比研究了抽运脉冲宽度、光纤长度和信号光功率等因素对放大器性能的影响.研究发现,上述因素会影响放大器的SRS阈值、SBS阈值、输出激光线宽、激光转换效率等.例如,当脉冲宽度为800 ns时,SBS随着抽运功率的增加而发生,限制了激光功率的提升;减短抽运脉宽可以抑制SBS,但是输出激光的线宽易于展宽到数百MHz以上;增加光纤长度可以获得更低的SRS阈值和更高的转换效率,但是SBS效应和光谱展宽程度也随之增强.系统搭建中需要平衡各非线性效应,选择合适的系统参数.研究内容可以为窄线宽纳秒脉冲光纤拉曼放大器的设计搭建提供参考.     

太阳对成像型天基激光告警系统的影响

针对成像型天基激光告警系统中的太阳背景辐射问题,通过理论分析和数值计算研究了太阳与系统探测器不同空间位置关系时直射太阳光和地球反射太阳光对系统成像信噪比、威胁激光检测、探测器自身安全的影响.结果表明:太阳光是天基激光告警系统的主要背景辐射,地球反射太阳光是系统红外探测器成像的主要背景光|反射太阳光辐照在探测器像面上的最大能量密度为0.97 mJ/cm2,反射太阳光背景下,攻击激光成像信噪比在103以上,信标激光信噪比小于1,反射太阳光对攻击激光检测没有影响,对信标激光成像是强背景干扰|直射太阳光辐照探测器是系统不可避免的情况,太阳成像光斑功率密度最大时约20 W/cm2,将导致探测器像元饱和甚至损坏|太阳成像光斑特征与入射激光相似,会造成系统严重虚警.     

High-power output from a compact OPCPA laser system

With a tabletop hybrid Nd:YAG-Nd:glass laser as pump source, a compact optical parametric chirpedpulse amplification(OPCPA)laser system with a peak output power of 16.7 TW and a pulse duration of120 fs has been demonstrated.Chirped pulses are amplified from 50 pJ to more than 3.1 J with an energygain of above 6×10~(10)by three LBO optical parametric amplifiers with a pump energy of 12.4 J at 532nm.After compression, a final output of 2.0-J/120-fs pulse is obtained. To the best of our knowledge,itis the highest peak output power from an OPCPA laser so far.In addition, a practical design of 1-PWlaser system based on the technique of OPCPA is also proposed.     

Systematic investigation of the avalanche effect in highly thulium-doped fiber amplifiers

The avalanche energy transfer in highly thulium doped fiber amplifiers (TDFA) pumped at 1056 nm with laser diodes was investigated. Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) at 800 nm and 1470 nm as well as the remaining pump power were measured as function of the pump power to explain the efficiency of the energy transfer between thulium ions. As proof of our theory, fiber amplifiers based on self-made fluoride fibers doped with 2000 and 5000 ppm thulium were realized and their gain and noise figure was measured. A gain of more than 25 dB and a noise figure of less than 4 dB was achieved at a pump power of 210 mW in a TDFA using the 5000 ppm thulium fiber, whereas a gain maximum of only 5.6 dB was observed with the 2000 ppm TDF. These investigations are of special importance since until now almost all TDFAs have used 2000 ppm fibers. PACS 83.80.Ab; 32.80.Bx; 42.65.Yj     

Photorefractive power transfer from parallel laser diode amplifiers into a single output beam

Photorefractive BaTiO(3):Ce was used to combine coherently a signal beam and two amplified pump beams at lambda=678 nm. The master laser beam was split and then amplified in two semiconductor laser amplifiers with gain of as much as 6. The amplifiers were made from quantum-well laser chips by use of antireflection coating. 40% of the power could be transferred to the signal beam without transferring the phase distortions of the pump beams.     

Direct Generation of Tunable UV Picosecond Laser Pulses Using Spectrotemporal Selection

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高重复频率水冷Nd:YAG激活镜放大器的温度特性

为解决高重复频率大能量激光放大器的热管理问题,采用数值模拟与实验分析的方法,对背面水冷Nd:YAG激活镜放大器的流体散热进行了研究.基于低雷诺数k-ε湍流模型,建立了流-固共轭传热多物理场藕合分析模型,对比分析了近壁面处理方法对流体流动、对流扩散和热传导过程及温度分布的影响,分析研究了不同冷却液流量和泵浦参数对流场特性、激光介质温度和波前分布的影响.数值模拟表明:激光介质的温度分布与固液边界层内的黏性作用密切相关,且冷却液的热扩散主要发生在100μm范围内;激光介质的热沉积分布中心对称,而温度分布沿水流方向不对称,最大温升位于出水口端且基本保持不变;增益介质前表面的温度分布与介质的波前分布随冷却液流量非线性变化,而随泵浦参数线性变化;实验结果与数值模拟符合较好.     

Multiterawatt laser system based on optical parametric chirped pulse amplification

A compact multiterawatt laser system based on optical parametric chirped pulse amplification is demonstrated. Chirped pulses are amplified from 20 pJ to 900 mJ by two lithium triborate optical parametric preamplifiers and a final KDP optical parametric power amplifier with a pump energy of 5 J at 532 nm from Nd:YAG-Nd:glass hybrid amplifiers. After compression, we obtained a final output of 570-mJ-155-fs pulses with a peak power of 3.67 TW, which is the highest output power from an optical parametric chirped pulse amplification laser, to the best of our knowledge.     

Gain enhancement of L-band EDFA by using residual pump power in a three-stage configuration

This paper presents an idea of using residual pump power for implementation of low-noise and high-gain L-band erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs). A single pump laser is employed to pump the first-stage EDFA, which serves as a low-noise preamplifier, in the proposed three-stage EDFA system. The residual pump power unabsorbed by the preamplifier is directed to pump the subsequent EDF. Experimental results show that gain enhancement of up to 8 dB with respect to conventional EDFAs can be achieved by using the proposed low-noise EDFA.