Practical application of cross correlation technique to measure jitter of master-oscillator-power-amplifier (MOPA) laser system

The Linac coherent light source (LCLS) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) is the world’s first hard X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) and is capable of producing high-energy, femtosecond duration X-ray pulses. A common technique to study fast timescale physical phenomena, various “pump/probe” techniques are used. In these techniques there are two lasers, one optical and one X-ray, that work as a pump and as a probe to study dynamic processes in atoms and molecules. In order to resolve phenomena that occur on femtosecond timescales, it is imperative to have very precise timing between the optical lasers and X-rays (on the order of ～20 fs or better). The lasers are synchronized to the same RF source that drives the accelerator and produces the X-ray laser. However, elements in the lasers cause some drift and time jitter, thereby de-synchronizing the system. This paper considers cross-correlation technique as a way to quantify the drift and jitter caused by the regenerative amplifier of the ultrafast optical laser.     

Comparison of Brillouin-Raman comb fiber laser in two different configurations

The properties of a Brillouin-Raman comb fiber laser are compared for two different configurations: co-propagating and counter-propagating Raman pump. The optical spectrum is compared for changing the Raman pump power and the power or the wavelength of seed laser. A Brillouin-Raman comb with 400 linewidth lasers in a flat-amplitude bandwidth of 32 nm between 1538 and 1570 nm, with an average optical power 20 dB above the nearby frequencies was generated. The lasers in the comb had an OSNR of 20 dB and a wavelength spacing of 0.08 nm. The results for the counter-propagating configuration were observed to have better quality.     

受激渡越辐射光学速调管

本文提出一种基于受激渡越辐射的的光学速调管新方案。应用著名的Madey定理对这种新型的自由电子激光器进行了分析和计算,其中包括自发辐射的和受激辐射的分析讨论。结果表明,Madey定理确能简化复杂的计算,并给出清楚的物理概念;同时计算还表明,受激渡越辐射光学速调管具有大的输出增益。文中对N个介质区构成的多级光学速调管情形也进行了讨论。 关键词：     

Novel achromatic distributed feedback dye laser for subpicosecond operation

The optical pump arrangement of distributed feedback dye lasers (DFDLs) having a grating beam splitter is analyzed in detail. The upper limit of the pump spectral bandwidth and beam divergence are given as a function of the length of the excited volume. A novel achromatic pump arrangement is reported which is capable of producing a short, high visibility interference pattern even if a divergent pump source of several nm bandwidth is used. The DFDL pulse duration has an estimated lower limit of 200 fs.     

熔锥型侧面泵浦耦合器的研究

 现在高功率光纤激光器和光纤放大器采用的双包层掺杂光纤,相对于从半导体泵浦激光器发射出的多模泵浦光束的大发散角,其内包层的直径很小,因此把泵浦光有效地耦合到双包层掺杂光纤的内包层是一个急需解决的难题。研制一种熔锥型侧面泵浦耦合器,可以大幅度提高泵浦光功率,实现增益光纤的多点泵浦,在双包层光纤放大器中使用良好,安全稳定,实现了较高的耦合效率,达到了70%,信号光通过率98%,信号输入与泵浦输入的隔离度大于50 dB,泵浦输入对输出端反向传输光的隔离度27 dB。通过对比结构紧凑性、耦合效率、系统稳定性等相关指标发现,熔锥型侧面泵浦耦合器完全可以满足高功率光纤激光器和光纤放大器的使用要求。     

二极管泵浦准三能级板条固体激光器的优化设计

基于最大激光增益条件，分析和优化了二极管泵浦准三能级Yb∶YAG固体板条激光器的激光增益、板条的最佳光学长度和最佳宽度参数。结果表明：在低功率侧面泵浦条件下，板条增益介质的掺杂浓度和板条宽度满足一定的关系，这为研究该类激光器提供了一条有效途径，其结果可应用于其他准三能级固体激光器设计。     

单模光纤激光极限功率的数值研究

对光纤激光极限功率的探索和其受限因素的分析, 有利于为大功率光纤激光器的发展提供理论依据和实验指导. 本文考虑热效应、光效应、非线性效应和抽运亮度等因素对光纤激光极限功率的影响, 分析了掺镱和掺铥光纤的极限功率和受限因素. 在此基础上, 结合激光在光纤中单模传输的条件, 计算了单模掺镱和掺铥光纤激光的极限功率. 计算结果表明, 在现有技术条件下, 使用常规的976 nm和793 nm激光二极管抽运, 单模掺镱和掺铥光纤激光的极限功率分别为4.2 kW和7.8 kW, 其中单模掺铥光纤激光的功率水平还远低于它的极限功率的原因是受抽运亮度的限制. 最后分析指出减小纤芯的数值孔径和改进少模光束的光束质量是提升单模光纤激光极限功率的重要途径.     

增益介质中的光场本征模—自由电子激光的三维解与光导

给出了等效折射率横向分布为二次型函数情况下的三维光场方程的本征模。它是非厄密算符的双正交基。利用这套双正交基可以实现微扰展开来处理自由电子激光的三维问题。以光导现象为例,得到了由于电子束中心偏离而引起光束重心的离轴行为的方程。     

Multiwavelength GaN-Based Surface-Emitting Lasers and Their Design Principles

Dual-wavelength lasing operations are demonstrated in GaN-based vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) comprising ingeniously designed asymmetric InGaN quantum wells (AS-QWs). The dual laser modes show exact positive-correlated polarization dependences with a high degree of polarization of up to 98%. By simply tuning the pump energy, the components and intensity of the laser outputs can be continuously changed, making wavelength selection and switching available for the GaN-based VCSELs. Detailed theoretical analysis and experimental measurements show that the intensity of optical gain and the coupling between the active layer and optical field, namely the electron–photon interaction, as well as carrier tunneling and photon reabsorption play a crucial role in the multiwavelength lasing processes. Moreover, the design principles of the proposed AS-QWs and multistacked size-varied quantum dot (MS-QD) active regions are elaborated to provide guidelines for controllable multiwavelength emissions in GaN-based surface-emitting lasers. These results not only provide better understanding of lasing in nitride-based microcavity systems but also shed insight into the more fundamental issues of electron–photon coupling in such systems. Importantly, such controllable multiwavelength laser operations may extend nitride-based VCSELs to previously inaccessible areas, for example, flip-flop, ultrafast switches, and other functional devices such as Raman lasers and sensors.     

Pump geometry for resonant and quasi-resonant optical excitation of microcavity lasers

A simple new pump geometry for optical excitation of microcavities and vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers is presented. The technique circumvents the high reflectivity of the cavity stop band by excitation through the substrate at a large angle of incidence. Under these conditions, the reflectivity of the bottom Bragg reflector is small, and optical pumping at any desired photon energy becomes possible. Experimental results for optical excitation with this new geometry are compared with resonant optical pumping through the cavity mode.     

Application of the opto-acoustic effect to the operation of optically pumped far-infrared gas lasers

A method is reported which allows the operation of optically pumped farinfrared (FIR) gas lasers in a simple way: A spectrophone is used to control and to stabilize the pump laser frequency in order to achieve most efficient optical pumping of the FIR laser gas.     

新型双波长激光增益控制掺铒光纤放大器

掺铒光纤非均匀展宽引起的空间烧孔现象导致单波长激光并不能完全控制放大器增益。提出了一种新颖简单的结构，利用自由光谱范围为26．7nm的法布里－珀罗可调谐滤波器和由长周期光纤光栅制成的波长选择性可调谐的衰减器，有效地调整不同波长处的腔内损耗，可以实现不同强度的双波长激射。由两个不同波长的激光共同承担增益控制的任务，降低了控制激光引起的空间烧孔，同时双波长激射有效地抑制了信号光的弛豫振荡。     

10-W-level diode-pumped compact 2.78 microm ZBLAN fiber laser

We report on >9W transverse-fundamental-mode CW output near 3 mum from a 4m heavily erbium-doped ZBLAN double-clad fiber laser pumped by a collimated 100 W 975 nm laser diode array. The pump threshold of the fiber laser was about 1W, and the slope efficiency was 21.3%. The peak wavelength of free running was about 2708 nm at low pump power and moved to around 2785 nm at high pump power. Output of 9W was obtained when the launched pump power was 42.8W. The output, however, fluctuated intensively like a pulsed laser, and the operation broke down with optical damage of the pumping end facet when the pump was increased beyond 42.8 W. Therefore, alleviation of the operation fluctuation, heat management, and strengthening the pumping fiber are crucial considerations for the stable operation of 10-W-level mid-IR ZBLAN fiber lasers.     

Modeling of laser-diode side-pumped continuous wave Nd:YAG/KTP green laser

By reasonably assuming the distribution of the pump light in laser medium, the equations about the absorption and the gain for the end-pumped lasers are applied to the side-pumped ones, and a theoretical model for laser-diode side-pumped continuous wave intracavity-frequency-doubling lasers is given, in which the thermally induced diffraction loss and the variation of the fundamental wave radii with the pump power are considered. By using a Z-type cavity, a laser-diode side-pumped continuous wave Nd:YAG/KTP green laser is realized. The threshold pump power is 15 W, and the highest output power of the green laser is 3.75 W at the pump power of 160 W, corresponding to an optical–optical slope efficiency 2.6%. The experimental results are consistent with the numerical solutions.     

Heating of a Thin Crystal Target at the Passage of High-Energy Short Electron Bunches

A theoretical model is developed for the heating and deformation of a thin target at the passage of short electron bunches through it at the energies of modern free electron lasers, and the corresponding simulation is carried out. It is demonstrated that under these conditions, the target can undergo overheating or be irreversibly deformed, which makes it difficult to use such targets for the diagnostics of free electron beams used in modern lasers.     

X-ray amplification by laser controlled coherent bremsstrahlung

A coherent x-ray generation scheme is proposed which involves characteristics of free electron lasers and atomic high harmonic generation schemes. A thin solid layer or any other periodic atomic structure with limited dimensions is exposed to a short, superintense laser pulse. The electrons are extracted from the layer due to the extreme force and penetrate periodically through the ionic structure. Consequently, thousands of harmonics of the laser radiation field are shown to coherently amplify along the interaction length. The small signal gain of the generated x-ray radiation exceeds that arising from the multiphoton Compton process in plasmas and is competitive with that in the leading x-ray free electron lasers.     

切伦科夫自由电子激光中自发辐射与受激辐射的关系

本文从单粒子理论出发,导出了切化科夫自由电子激光中自发辐射与受激辐射的关系。结果表明:在切化科夫自由电子激光中也存在着类似于wiggler自由电子激光中的Madey公式的关系。文中还利用得出的结果对倾斜角度受激切伦科夫辐射的增益进行了计算。 关键词：     

双重复频率锁模Yb:YAG陶瓷激光器

近年来,双重复频率锁模激光器在诸如双光梳光谱和异步光学采样等应用领域吸引了广泛关注.基于单一激光腔的双梳系统能大大降低成本,简化系统结构,且性能优异.双重复频率锁模激光器为发展紧凑型和实用型双梳装置开辟了道路.本文报道了一种可用作双光梳光谱系统光源的双重复频率锁模Yb:YAG陶瓷激光器.该激光器基于半导体可饱和吸收镜锁模技术,采用双通道抽运结构,利用新型非水基流延成型制备的Yb:YAG透明陶瓷,在单一的五镜腔中,当吸收抽运光功率为5.6 W时,实现了自启动、稳定运转的双重复频率锁模脉冲Pulse1和Pulse2,其重复频率分别为448.918和448.923 MHz,重复频率差为5 kHz.在吸收抽运功率为7 W时,得到最大的总平均输出功率170 mW,其中Pulse1和Pulse2的功率分别为89和81 mW,相应的光谱宽度分别为1和1.16 nm.性能相似的双重复频率脉冲彼此间保持了良好的相干性,实验结果证明了双通道抽运在双重复频率锁模激光器应用中的可行性,此种新型双重复频率激光器在双光梳光谱和测距等领域具有较好的应用潜力.     

激光二极管抽运共轴双晶体黄光激光器

提出一种全新的单抽运源、共轴双晶体实现黄光激光的方法,并对其进行了理论分析和实验研究.利用该方法在抽运功率为1.5 W时,获得了54 mW的黄光激光输出,激光不稳定度为5%,光-光转换率为3.6%,而利用对1064 nm损耗的方法在相同条件下只获得15 mW的黄光输出. 该方法结构简单、灵活多样,可以应用到很多弱增益谱线与强增益谱线和频的结构当中,实现诸如491,488,593.5,555和500.8 nm的激光输出. 关键词： 黄光激光器 单抽运源 双晶体 和频     

二极管泵浦无机液体激光器出光实验研究

 为探索新的高能激光体系,搭建了二极管泵浦的液体激光器。采用激光二极管作为泵浦光源,单侧泵浦掺钕离子的无机激光液体,进行了出光实验。通过测量输出光束的近场分布、脉冲波形和光谱,证实实现了激光输出,输出激光的波长为1 053 nm。输出的单脉冲激光能量达到47 mJ,光-光转换效率达到14%。其光-光转换效率高出闪光灯泵浦液体条件下2个数量级,说明该激光体系具有向高能激光体系发展的前景。