Effect of the ellipticity of an inducing beam on the thermocapillary response

A thermocapillary depression is induced by a He-Ne laser beam in a plane-parallel layer of a transparent liquid on an absorbing substrate. The thermocapillary response is investigated as a function of the laser beam ellipticity, the laser power, and the layer thickness.     

采用曲率传感器测量热透镜焦距

 分析了用光栅型波前曲率传感器测量热透镜焦距的基本原理,针对高功率固体激光器的工作特点,结合实验现象推导了在热透镜效应较强时热透镜焦距变化的计算公式。对半导体二极管(LD)侧面泵浦的百W级Nd:YAG激光棒在泵浦电流为15~25 A时的热透镜焦距值进行了测量,讨论了可能存在的误差。实验现象和理论分析一致,测量的热透镜焦距值与理论值符合得较好。     

Influences of pump beam distribution on thermal lensing spherical aberration in an LD end-pumped Nd:YAG laser

A numerical investigation is made on the thermal lensing and spherical aberration effect in an LD end-pumped Nd:YAG laser. Based on the finite element method (FEM), the laser rod temperature distribution is calculated and the focal length of the thermal lens is deduced, the influences of pump beam on the thermal lensing spherical aberration are mainly studied. The results show the thermal lens which focal length varied with the radial coordinate r is not an ideal lens. Given the heat dissipation boundary conditions, the radial dependent focal length will be shortened when the pump power raised or the waist radius of the pump beam reduced, meanwhile the radial differences of the focal length will decrease when the pump power increased. For a Super-Gaussian profile pump beam, the higher the exponent number, the more similar to flat top the pump beam is, and the less the radial differences of the focal length are.     

利用光斑图像特征确定飞秒激光有效烧蚀焦距

为确定飞秒激光光束对微尺度结构的烧蚀深度,研究了给定功率条件下对应的激光束有效烧蚀焦距。提出采用激光焦点处获得的烧痕阵列图像及在离焦状态下提取烧痕图像特征,通过分析图像特征与离焦距离,获得激光束有效烧蚀焦距范围的方法。在激光束焦点附近的硅晶片表面烧蚀出斑痕阵列,向下逐渐减小焦距,采集硅晶片斑痕图像,提取斑痕平均像素面积及斑痕目标与背景之间的R分量灰度差,获得斑痕像素面积及灰度差随激光束焦距变化的曲线;向上逐渐增大焦距,提取并获得斑痕像素面积及灰度差随激光束焦距变化的曲线。结合激光束向下离焦阈值(633 μm)及向上离焦阈值(993 μm),确定20 mW输出功率条件下,飞秒激光在硅晶片材料表面的有效烧蚀深度为360 μm。采用中位值方法确定了激光束在硅晶片表面聚焦时的焦距为0.823 mm。实验表明,激光烧蚀斑痕像素面积及灰度差与激光束焦距之间的关系能够客观地反映激光束有效烧蚀焦距的变化范围。     

采用曲率传感器测量热透镜焦距

分析了用光栅型波前曲率传感器测量热透镜焦距的基本原理,针对高功率固体激光器的工作特点,结合实验现象推导了在热透镜效应较强时热透镜焦距变化的计算公式。对半导体二极管(LD)侧面泵浦的百W级Nd:YAG激光棒在泵浦电流为15~25 A时的热透镜焦距值进行了测量,讨论了可能存在的误差。实验现象和理论分析一致,测量的热透镜焦距值与理论值符合得较好。     

高光束质量、高功率稳定性激光器的设计及实验研究

高光束质量、高功率稳定性激光器在激光加工、激光测量等领域具有广泛的用途.为了实现激光器腔内光斑聚焦同时减少色散和体积,人们常常将曲面反射镜用在激光谐振腔中,但光束倾斜入射到曲面反射镜往往会引起像散,从而导致光斑质量恶化,并降低激光器的性能.另一方面,在高功率激光器或超短脉冲激光器中,激光增益介质热透镜焦距的起伏,是导致激光输出功率波动的主要原因之一.针对激光器的像散和功率波动这两个问题,本文提出了一套简单高效的解决方案,在考虑像散补偿和热透镜效应的基础上,基于传播变换圆理论,首次提出一种可实现高光束质量、高功率稳定性激光器谐振腔的设计方法,并对采用该方法所设计出的超短脉冲激光器进行理论与实验研究.研究结果表明,利用该方法设计的激光谐振腔,两端臂像散能够完全被补偿,实验上实现了基模高斯光束输出;当激光晶体热透镜焦距改变时,该方法所设计出的激光谐振腔内各关键位置光斑半径的变化,显著地小于普通谐振腔,在相同外界条件下,其输出激光功率稳定性明显优于普通激光器.     

Kerr非线性介质中聚焦像散高斯光束的传输特性

当高功率激光通过Kerr非线性介质传输时,Kerr效应会严重影响激光的传输特性.实际应用中常遇到像散光束.迄今为止,像散光束传输特性的研究大都局限于在线性介质中的传输,而在非线性介质中传输的研究较少,且还未涉及像散激光束通过含光学系统的Kerr非线性介质传输变换的研究.本文主要研究Kerr效应对聚焦光束像散特性和焦移特性的影响,以及聚焦像散高斯光束的自聚焦焦距和光束焦点调控.在光束扩展情况下,推导出了聚焦像散高斯光束在Kerr非线性介质中传输的束宽、束腰位置和焦移的解析公式,研究表明:在自聚焦介质中,随着自聚焦作用增强(如光束功率增强),光束像散越强,但焦移越小;在自散焦介质中,随着自散焦作用增强(如光束功率增强),光束像散越弱,但焦移越大.另一方面,在光束自聚焦情况下,推导出了自聚焦焦距的解析公式,研究表明利用光束像散可以调控光束焦点个数.     

Design of SMMW Laser Resonators with On-Axis Signal and Pump Beam Guiding in a Mirror Ring

A ring resonator design for optically pumped submillimeter wave (SMMW) lasers using the same set of four mirrors (including one focussing mirror) for pump beam and SMMW beam guiding is introduced.The optimum design is discussed on the example of a 2.523 THz methanol laser. It turns out that the focal length of the focussing mirror has to be adapted to the resonator perimeter. Eleven well suited focal length - resonator perimeter ratios, defining eleven standard resonator configurations, can be distinguished.The setup of an experimental laser with the optimized resonator and the experimental setup to measure laser performance are described, and results concerning laser output power, beam quality and efficiency are discussed.This paper is the extended version of the paper presented on the 23rd International Conference in Colchester [1] and continues a former article presented in this journal [2].     

高功率激光光束特性对激光加工的影响

决定光与物质相互作用的激光束的波长、入射角、偏振特性以及时间和空间特性是激光材料加工的主要光束特性。激光束的光束质量是其空间特性的量化反映。通过对两种不同激光加工系统输出激光光束质量进行测量和计算,根据多模激光束的聚焦理论,以及对激光深熔焊接实验结果的分析,研究了光束质量对深熔焊接焊缝成形的影响。结果表明,光束质量对聚焦光束的焦斑、聚焦角和焦深的影响不仅体现了激光源的可聚焦性,而且也标志了激光源的可加工能力,这是聚焦系统和焦点位置在选择过程中应该考虑的重要因素。     

纵向泵浦固体激光介质热透镜效应的理论研究

 在分析了纵向泵浦、周边致冷固体激光棒内加热及冷却机理的基础上,将热传导方程合理简化为一维形式,求解出以级数方式表达的棒内温度分布。并根据热弹性力学原理,获得了激光棒中热致应力场和应变场。在考虑了与热透镜效应有关的三个因素：即热色散、热致应力双折射和端面变形后,推导出了纵向泵浦固体激光棒有效热焦距的解析表达式。将所获结果运用于常用的激光晶体Nd:YAG,发现当使用10W半导体激光器泵浦时,所产生的有效热焦距在毫米量级。     

纵向泵浦固体激光介质热透镜效应的理论研究

在分析了纵向泵浦、周边致冷固体激光棒内加热及冷却机理的基础上,将热传导方程合理简化为一维形式,求解出以级数方式表达的棒内温度分布。并根据热弹性力学原理,获得了激光棒中热致应力场和应变场。在考虑了与热透镜效应有关的三个因素：即热色散、热致应力双折射和端面变形后,推导出了纵向泵浦固体激光棒有效热焦距的解析表达式。将所获结果运用于常用的激光晶体Nd:YAG,发现当使用10W半导体激光器泵浦时,所产生的有效热焦距在毫米量级。     

非线性介质中会聚高功率激光的焦点位置控制

为了控制激光束的传输,使激光光束能根据实际情况在特定的位置聚焦,并且保证在传输过程中光束质量不退化,根据透镜聚焦和非线性介质的自聚焦理论,研究了高功率会聚激光光束在两者共同作用下焦点位置的变化.分析了各种因素对高功率激光光束的焦点位置的影响,并通过数值求解光束在非线性Kerr介质中所遵循的非线性薛定谔方程,得到焦点的位置变化和光束初始束宽,输入功率以及透镜焦距的关系,从而找到了控制焦点位置的方法.基于非线性薛定谔方程,对理论分析进行了相应的模拟验证,结果相互吻合.     

Generation of radially polarized beams in a Nd:YAG laser with self-adaptive overcompensation of the thermal lens

Thermal effects such as lensing and birefringence negatively affect the beam quality and limit the power range of solid-state lasers. Self-adaptive overcompensation of the thermal lens is an answer to this problem. It provides a laser system with good beam quality and large stability range. Because the focal length of the thermally induced lens is different for the radial and the tangential polarization, overcompensation can be used to discriminate these two polarizations. Exploiting this method, we demonstrate the generation of radially polarized beams in a self-adaptively overcompensated high-power Nd:YAG laser with an output power of 155 W and an M2 of less than 10.     

低功率激光热透镜效应的模拟及研究

与高功率激光相比,低功率激光更安全,其热透镜效应对激光功率变化更敏感,更适合用于实验教学.本文利用有限元法模拟低功率激光的热透镜效应,模拟介质温度场和等效热透镜焦距,定量探究低功率激光热透镜焦距与激光功率以及介质热吸收率、厚度的关系.模拟结果与实验数据符合良好,为探究低功率激光热透镜效应实验提供理论依据.     

薄片激光器热效应及其对输出功率的影响

建立了光强分布为高斯型的抽运光端面单程抽运时薄片激光器的温度模型, 实验测量了不同抽运功率下薄片介质表面的 温度分布、温度随时间的变化特性以及介质表面的温度差. 采用Hartmann法测量了薄片介质的热焦距. 考虑热焦距随抽运功率的变化, 基于四能级系统薄片激光器的速率方程组, 建立了薄片激光器热效应对输出功率影响的物理模型, 薄片激光器输入-输出功率曲线与实际相符. 所得结果对薄片激光器的设计和优化具有一定的指导意义.     

Thermal lens determination of LD end-pumped solid-state laser with stable resonator by slit scanning method

A simple method to determine the thermal focal length of LD end-pumped solid-state laser with stable resonator is presented. The M² factor describing the quality of the beam can be obtained by scanning a slit through the multi-mode Gaussian beam field. The waist width of the beam and the corresponding TEM₀₀ under the same parameters of laser are then deduced through the law of multi-mode Gaussian beam propagation. Based on the standard matrix theory of stable resonator, the thermal focal length of the gain medium can be easily achieved. To show the application of this approach, the thermal focal length of an LD pumped Nd:YVO₄ laser is measured and the experimental results are in agreement with the theoretical prediction.     

非相干光纤激光组束系统耦合效率的优化分析

单光束耦合效率是决定非相干组束系统输出功率的关键,它受到透镜焦距、光栅周期和光斑半径等参数的影响。为了寻求较为优化的系统参数,通过理论分析和仿真研究,结果表明对于中心波长1060nm的光纤激光,应当选择透镜焦距20cm,光栅周期5μm,并且需要将光斑半径控制在50μm左右。通过反解光栅频率及组束波长带宽的第一个零点来选择组束阵列宽度一定条件下较优的光栅参数。通过理论分析和数值计算,结果表明较小的光栅频率和光栅厚度对提高衍射效率是有利的。     

Scattering of CO2 laser beam by a plasma of air breakdown at pressures of 1–300 torr

Results from experiments with a TEA CO₂ laser with an unstable cavity and a power of 10⁷ W are presented. Laser radiation was focused by a lens with a focal length of 100 or 150 mm in air free of dust (grains larger than 0.1 μm were filtered out). The power and energy of radiation scattered within a central cone of an annular laser beam was recorded. The dependences of the threshold (for scattering) laser power and the scattered power on pressure were determined. The angular divergence of the collimated scattered beam was found to be 3.9 mrad, which was close to the divergence of the laser beam (2.5 mrad). The amplification of the scattered radiation pulse was performed.     

Fresnel diffraction model for the point spread of a laser light profile microscope (LPM)

Light profile microscopy is a new method of thin film imaging in which a microscope forms an image of a laser beam intersecting a thin layer along its depth axis. Emission (luminescence or scatter) from the beam volume is transmitted through a cross sectional view surface and used by a microscope to form an image of the beam propagating through the sample. Fresnel diffraction theory is used in this work to derive a point spread model for a microscope operating in this configuration, assuming that the emission from the source beam is completely incoherent. This theory illustrates the dependence of the image resolution on the laser beam radius, which determines the effective thickness of the system object seen by the microscope. The effect of relative displacement of the source beam center from the object plane of the microscope is evaluated. The present theory shows that radial resolution may be evaluated by means of an object focus envelope and a focal energy distribution computed for the objective lens. PACS 42.25Fx; 07.60Pb     

亚稳态氦原子束在激光驻波场中聚焦的衍射像差研究

用量子力学方法研究了一维激光驻波场对亚稳态氮原子束聚焦的衍射像差。建立了半经典模型，该模型在一定条件下和已有模型一致，提出了直接计算时间演化算符的数值方法，这种计算方法速度较快，收敛性较好，数值模拟结果表明在一定的激光强度和光束半径等参量下，亚稳态氮原子束被聚焦，焦点的半峰全宽为54nm，对比度16：1，焦长、焦深与入射原子束的速度有关，从而与动能有关，焦点的有限宽度主要是来自衍射效应的影响。