Compact mid-infrared trace gas sensor based on difference-frequency generation of two diode lasers in periodically poled LiNbO3

3 (PPLN) crystal pumped by two single-frequency diode lasers. A maximum DFG power of 1.6 μW at 3.6 μm was generated with a pump power of 61.4 mW at 832 nm and a signal power of 41.5 mW at 1083 nm incident on a 19-mm-long PPLN crystal, which corresponds to a conversion efficiency of 335 μW W^-2 cm^-1. Received: 16 June 1998     

Compact 584-nm light source based on sum-frequency mixing of diode pumped Nd:YLF lasers

A dual-wavelength continuous-wave (CW) diode end-pumped Nd:YLiF₄ (Nd:YLF) laser that generates simultaneous laser action at the wavelengths 1047 and 1321 nm is demonstrated. A total output power of 350 mW for the dual-wavelength was achieved. Furthermore, intracavity sum-frequency mixing at 1047 and 1321 nm was then realized in a LBO crystal to reach the yellow-green range. We obtained a total CW output power of 34 mW at 584 nm.     

Demonstration of a portable near-infrared CH4 detection sensor based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy

A portable near-infrared (NIR) CH₄ detection sensor based on a distributed feedback (DFB) laser modulated at 1.654 μm is experimentally demonstrated. Intelligent temperature controller with an accuracy of −0.07 to +0.09 °C as well as a scan and modulation module generating saw-wave and cosine-wave signals are developed to drive the DFB laser, and a cost effective lock-in amplifier used to extract the second harmonic signal is integrated. Thorough experiments are carried out to obtain detection performances, including detection range, accuracy, stability and the minimum detection limit (MDL). Measurement results show that the absolute detection error relative to the standard value is less than 7% within the range of 0–100%, and the MDL is estimated to be about 11 ppm under an absorption length of 0.2 m and a noise level of 2 mV_pp. Twenty-four hours monitoring on two gas samples (0.1% and 20%) indicates that the absolute errors are less than 7% and 2.5%, respectively, suggesting good long term stability. The sensor reveals competitive characteristics compared with other reported portable or handheld sensors. The developed sensor can also be used for the detection of other gases by adopting other DFB lasers with different center-wavelength using the same hardware and slightly modified software.     

500.5-nm blue-green laser based on sum-frequency mixing of diode pumped neodymium lasers

We report for the first time a continuous-wave (CW) coherent radiation at 500.5 nm by intracavity sum-frequency generation of 1063 nm Nd:GdVO₄ laser and 946 nm Nd:YAG laser. Blue-green laser is obtained by using a doubly cavity, type-II critical phase matching KTiOPO₄ (KTP) crystal sum-frequency mixing. With total pump power of 27.8 W, TEM₀₀ mode blue-green laser at 500.5 nm of 421 mW is obtained. At the output power level of 421 mW, the blue-green power stability is better than 2.8% and laser beam quality M ² factor is 1.37.     

Compact CW 485-nm laser based on sum-frequency mixing of diode pumped Nd:LuVO<Subscript>4</Subscript>-Yb:YAG lasers

We report for the first time a continuous-wave (CW) coherent radiation at 485 nm by intracavity sum-frequency generation of 916 nm Nd:LuVO₄ laser and 1030 nm Yb:YAG laser. Blue laser is obtained by using a doubly cavity, type-II critical phase matching KTP crystal sum-frequency mixing. With total pump power of 30.2 W, TEM₀₀ mode blue laser at 485 nm of 179 mW is obtained. The blue power stability in 30 min is better than 3%.     

基于光纤激光器的中红外差频多波长激光产生

针对由YDFL和EDFL作为基频光源的QPM-DFG激光系统,利用PPMgLN晶体的色散关系及其温度特性,有效拓宽了QPM波长接受带宽.模拟结果表明,当采用1550和1060 nm波段的EDFL和YDFL分别作为DFG的信号和抽运光源时,对于相同的中红外波段,满足QPM条件所允许的抽运光波长变化范围远大于信号光波长变化范围.当固定信号光波长为1560 nm时,对于给定的晶体温度,1060 nm波段抽运光的QPM接受带宽超过17 nm,对应于中红外差频光带宽可约180 nm.采用多波长YDFL作为抽运源,单 关键词： 差频产生 准相位匹配 多波长中红外 光纤激光器     

Stark effect on CH3OH and CH3F FIR lasers: Large frequency tuning and resolved structures

The operation of a cw FIR laser in the presence of a strong electric field is described. A hybrid metal-dielectric waveguide is used and the cavity length is scanned to study how the frequency and power of the laser depend on the field strength. The results have also been checked by heterodyning with a conventional reference laser. We report the results obtained for the 496 μm line of CH₃F and the 70.5 μm and 119 μm lines of CH₃OH. A large frequency tunability of almost ±40 MHz is obtained in the best case with power levels in the mW range. A very simple theoretical model accounts for the experimental results. We also report the appearance of a new FIR line at about 204 μm when CH₃OH is pumped by the 9 μmP(34) of CO₂ in the presence of an electric field larger than 1.2 KV/cm.     

480-nm blue laser based on sum-frequency mixing of diode pumped Nd:ASL-Yb:YAG lasers

We report for the first time a continuous-wave (CW) coherent radiation at 480 nm by intracavity sum-frequency generation of 900 nm Neodymium Doped Strontium and Lanthanum Aluminate (Nd:ASL) laser and 1030 nm Yb:Y₃Al₅O₁₂ (Yb:YAG) laser. Blue laser is obtained by using a doubly cavity, type-I critical phase matching LiB₃O₅ (LBO) crystal sum-frequency mixing. With total pump power of 28.6 W, the blue laser at 480 nm of 170 mW is obtained. At the output power level of 170 mW, the blue power stability is better than 4.7% and laser beam quality M ² factor is 1.43.     

494 nm blue laser based on sum-frequency mixing of diode pumped Nd<Superscript>3+</Superscript> lasers

We report for the first time a continuous-wave (CW) blue radiation at 494 nm by intracavity sumfrequency generation of 912 nm Nd:GdVO₄ laser and 1079 nm Nd:YAlO₃ (Nd:YAP) laser. Using type-I critical phase matching LiB₃O₅ (LBO) crystal, 494 nm blue laser was obtained by 912 and 1079 nm intra-cavity sum-frequency mixing, and output power of 179 mW was demonstrated. At the output power level of 179 mW, the output power stability is better than 3.5% and laser beam quality M ₂ factor is 1.21.     

504 nm blue-green laser based on sum-frequency mixing of diode pumped Nd<Superscript>3+</Superscript> lasers

We report for the first time a continuous-wave (CW) blue-green radiation at 504 nm by intracavity sum-frequency generation of 946 nm Nd:YAG laser and 1080 nm Nd:YAlO₃ (Nd:YAP) laser. Using type-I critical phase matching LiB₃O₅ (LBO) crystal, 504 nm blue-green laser was obtained by 946 and 1080 nm intra-cavity sum-frequency mixing, and output power of 215 mW was demonstrated. At the output power level of 215 mW, the output power stability is better than 4.7% and laser beam quality M² factor is 1.21.     

Design of molecular FIR lasers frequency tunable by stark effect: Electric breakdown of CH3OH,CH3F,CH3I and CH3CN1

The operation of optically pumped FIR molecular lasers in the presence of a static electric field up to 6.5 kV/cm is reported. Wide frequency tuning ranges are demonstrated for the strong CH₃F 496 μm, CH₃I 508 μm, CH₃OH 70.5, 96.5 and 119 μm lines. New Stark tuned lines at about 204 μm are also reported from CH₃OH. A Stark frequency tuning range 75 times larger than the Doppler linewidth is measured. The limitations due to the electrical breakdown in the gas and to the Stark detuning of the pump transitions are investigated. The Paschen curves of CH₃OH, CH₃I, CH₃F and CH₃CN are measured and design parameters for high efficiency Stark tuned FIR molecular lasers are given.     

Compact 500.9 nm laser based on doubly resonant intracavity sum–frequency mixing

A compact 500.9 nm laser was realized using doubly resonant intracavity sum–frequency mixing. An Nd:YAG crystal and an Nd:YVO₄ crystal were employed as the gain crystals. In two sub-cavities, 946 nm radiation from the Nd:YAG and 1064 nm radiation from the Nd:YVO₄ were mixed to generate 500.9 nm. In the overlapping of the two cavities, sum–frequency mixing was achieved in a type-II critical phase-matched KTP crystal. An output power of 78 mW at a wavelength of 500.9 nm was generated using a total incident pump power of 4 W and the output light exhibited low noise, with the root-mean-square value being 0.3%.     

Third order nonlinear optical difference frequency generation in KH2PO4, TiO2, LiNbO3, CaCO3, ZnO and CdS

Third-order nonlinear optical susceptibilities of different crystals have been measured relative to LiNbO₃ by observing collinear phase-matched difference frequency generation ₁=2 ₂– ₄. The two incident light waves have been produced by a ruby laser ( ₂, ₂=694.3 nm) and by induced Raman scattering ( ₄, ₄=765.8 nm). With noncollinear phase-matching the number of nonlinear processes and the possibilities to determine nonlinear coefficients is much larger than in the collinear case. Therefore the theory of Raman-type third order interactions has been extended to noncollinear propagation of the interacting waves. The theory has been tested experimentally for CdS.     

Efficient cascaded difference frequency conversion in periodically poled Ti:LiNbO3 waveguides using pulsed and cw pumping

Using an FM-mode-locked Ti:Er:LiNbO₃ waveguide laser as the fundamental source, wavelength conversion by cascaded χ⁽²⁾:χ⁽²⁾-difference frequency generation with a conversion efficiency of up to +3(-4.6) dB was demonstrated at a pulse repetition rate of about 2 (10) GHz. In addition, multi-channel conversion was demonstrated with a fully packaged wavelength converter using a continuous fundamental source. Received: 29 May 2001 / Revised version: 10 August 2001 / Published online: 2 November 2001     

Generation of tunable cw infrared radiation by difference frequency mixing

Tunable cw infrared radiation has been generated by noncollinear difference frequency mixing in LiIO₃, using the output of an argon ion laser at 514 nm or 488 nm and the intracavity radiation of a Rhodamine 6 G dye laser. Infrared powers up to 4 μW in multimode and 0.5 μW in single-mode operation tunable in the range of 2.3 μm to 4.6 μm have been obtained. Properties and possibilities of the noncollinear mixing geometry and the intracavity mixing system are discussed.     

Widely-tunable mid-infrared frequency comb source based on difference frequency generation

We report on a mid-IR frequency comb source of unprecedented tunability covering the entire 3-10 μm molecular fingerprint region. The system is based on difference frequency generation in a GaSe crystal pumped by a 151 MHz Yb:fiber frequency comb. The process was seeded with Raman-shifted solitons generated in a highly nonlinear suspended-core fiber with the same source. Average powers up to 1.5 mW were achieved at the 4.7 μm wavelength.     

基于红外差分检测的甲烷气体传感器

鉴于红外吸收法检测甲烷气体浓度时,误差的补偿是提高检测精度的核心。通常采用各种差分吸收技术来进行误差的补偿,减少各种干扰。基于红外差分检测原理,设计一种双波长差分甲烷传感器。利用旋转滤光盘控制滤波和光的通过,使测量光和参考光分时通过光路,实现了单光源单光路单探测器结构,消除了光源功率波动、光路损耗以及探测器的不稳定带来的误差,提高了检测精度。实验表明,在0～6%浓度范围内,该传感器最大相对误差小于1%。