Modelling of a simple Dy<Superscript>3+</Superscript> doped chalcogenide glass fibre laser for mid-infrared light generation

A simple Dy³⁺-doped chalcogenide glass fibre laser design for mid-infrared light generation is studied using a one dimensional rate equation model. The fibre laser design employs the concept of cascade lasing. The results obtained demonstrate that efficient cascade lasing may be achieved in practice without the need for fibre grating fabrication, as a sufficient level of feedback for laser action is provided by Fresnel light reflection at chalcogenide glass fibre–air interfaces. Further enhancement of the laser efficiency can be achieved by terminating one of the fibre ends with a mirror. A numerical analysis of the effect of the Dy³⁺ doping concentration and fibre loss on the laser operation shows that with 5 W of pump power, at 1.71 μm wavelength, output powers above 100 mW at ∼ 4.5 μm wavelength can be achieved with Dy³⁺ ion concentrations as low as 3 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³, when fibre loss is of the order 1dB/m.     

千瓦级双包层光纤激光器冷却方案设计理论和实验研究

尽管双包层光纤激光器的散热性能好于传统的固体激光器的散热性能,光纤激光器中的热沉积仍然是限制提高其输出功率的重要因素.以双端抽运的400 W双包层光纤激光器为实例,定量分析了光纤内的热沉积分布.根据所建立的散热模型,为了确保千瓦级双包层光纤激光器安全稳定的运行,抽运端附近的对流换热系数应大于2.8×10^-2W·cm^-2K^-1.据此设计出高功率双包层光纤激光器抽运端冷却装置并成功应用在激光系统中,获得了千瓦级的激光输出. 关键词： 热沉积 散热 双包层光纤激光器     

黏弹细棒中直达波提取及其动态力学参数的宽频测试

黏弹性材料的动态力学参数可通过对材料样品中纵波测试并结合波速法计算得到。由于测试样品尺寸的限制,除了高损耗材料在高频范围外,不管是在样品端头或侧面都难以获得准确的直达波信号,导致参数测量不准确。针对这个问题,对一端固定一端自由的黏弹性细棒中的纵波传播过程进行了分析,提出了黏弹性细棒直达波提取的方法,并实现了黏弹性材料动态力学参数的宽频测试。采用宽带脉冲作为测试激励信号,利用两台激光测振仪对细棒的固定端和自由端的振动速度进行测试,计算得到细棒自由端处的直达波。然后,利用提取出的直达波信号进行波速法计算,得到了黏弹性细棒宽频范围内的储能模量和损耗因子,宽频脉冲测试结果与黏弹仪测试结果相吻合,验证了该方法的有效性。基于直达波提取的宽频测试方法不仅效率高,而且可以使波速法应用于更低的频段。      

Fresnel-reflection-based fiber sensor for on-line measurement of ambient temperature

A fiber sensor with a simple structure for measuring the environment temperature is presented. The sensor uses only a diode laser as light source, three couplers, two photodetectors and two sensing fiber ends with protective cladding. One of the sensing fiber ends is covered by solidified epoxy resin with a metal cover. The measurement principle is based on relative Fresnel reflective intensity. Various ambient temperatures are measured in the setup. The measured data is fitted to linear equation very well with the value of R² of 0.9982. Applying the relative technique, the errors resulted from fluctuation of light source and other influences of environment are effectively eliminated, and the stability for long time measurement can be improved.     

Self-mixing effect in Yb3+ doped DBR fiber laser with different linewidth enhancement factor

We present a self-mixing interference model approach to stimulate the self-mixing interference in YDBR fiber laser with optical self-mixing interference operating in the weak feedback regime. The self-mixing interference model includes Yb³⁺ doped fibers pumped at 920 nm, with distributed Bragg reflector mirrors at both fiber ends and external reflector. Using the quasi-analytical YDBR fiber laser model and self-mixing three-mirror cavity model, the output power expression is deduced and the Peak-to-Peak values and asymmetry values of self-mixing waveform at different linewidth enhancement factor have been studied in detail.     

Characterization of thermal diffusivity of micro/nanoscale wires by transient photo-electro-thermal technique

In this work, a transient photon-electro-thermal (TPET) technique based on step laser heating and electrical thermal sensing is developed to characterize the thermophysical properties of one-dimensional micro/nanoscale conductive and nonconductive wires. In this method, the to-be-measured thin wire/tube is suspended over two electrodes and is irradiated with a step cw laser beam. The laser beam induces a transient temperature rise in the wire/tube, which will lead to a transient change of its electrical resistance. A dc current is applied to the sample, and the resulting transient voltage variation over the wire is measured and used to extract the thermophysical properties of the sample. A 25.4-μm thick Pt wire is used as the reference sample to verify this technique. Sound agreement is obtained between the measured thermal diffusivity and the reference value. Applying the TPET technique, one can measure the thermal diffusivity of conductive single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) bundles and nonconductive cloth fibers. For nonconductive wires, a thin (∼ nm) metallic film is coated on the outside of the wire for electrical thermal sensing. The measured thermal diffusivity for the SWCNT bundle is 2.53×10^-5 m²/s, much less than the thermal diffusivity of graphite in the layer direction. For microscale cloth fibers, our experiment shows its thermal diffusivity is at the level of 10^-7 m²/s. PACS 78.20.Nv; 42.62.-b; 65.80+n; 66.30.Xj     

Lasing characteristics of Rhodamine B and Rhodamine 6G as a sensitizer in sol–gel silica

We report lasing characteristics of Rhodamine B (Rh. B) in sol–gel silica under excitation with frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser and sensitization with Rhodamine 6G (Rh. 6G). The principle of radiative energy transfer (from Rh. 6G to Rh. B) has been utilized as a longitudinally Rh. 6G laser (at 585 nm)-pumped Rh. B laser process in the same sample. Rh. B offers a high photostable and efficient laser dye in sol–gel silica sensitized with Rh. 6G; 75,000 shots as a laser half-lifetime of the sample and 24% efficiency at pumping intensity 0.1 J/cm² of 532 nm. Wavelength shift occurs from 606 to 630 nm in the Rh. B laser with increasing its concentration from 1×10⁻⁴ to 8×10⁻⁴ M. The measured optical gain for Rh. B sensitized with Rh. 6G in sol–gel silica is higher than that in ethanol. A new effect has been observed; at 1×10⁻⁴ M of Rh. B and 0.5×10⁻⁴ M of Rh. 6G mixture, the emitted color of laser is changed by changing the pump intensity of frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser.     

A simple fibre Fabry-Pérot sensor

A simple fibre Fabry-Pérot sensor is described in which the uncoated cleaved ends of a lenght of single mode fibre are employed as the mirror surfaces to produce high visibility near perfect cosine-squared fringes in the back-reflected light. The experimentally observed signal-to-noise performance of the interferometer illuminated by a HeNe gas laser and a semiconductor diode laser is reported. In an accelerometer configuration the device displayed a below resonance sensitivity of ≥200 rad g^-1.     

A laser speckle method for measuring ultra-low thermal expansion

A method based on objective laser speckles for the measurement of ultra-low thermal expansion is described. The sensitivity of α = 10^-8 C^-1 can easily be achieved with a 25 C temperature change of a 2°5 cm long sample. The sensitivity is obtained by the rotation of a probe due to differential thermal expansion of the sample and reference rods. The method is discussed in detail along with the effects of some user-controlled parameters like speckle size, laser beam width, unwanted thermal expansions and the spectral width of the laser beam.     

An ion cooler-buncher for high-sensitivity collinear laser spectroscopy at ISOLDE

A gas-filled segmented linear Paul trap has been installed at the focal plane of the high-resolution separator (HRS) at CERN-ISOLDE. As well as providing beams with a reduced transverse emittance, this device is also able to accumulate the ions and release the sample in bunches with a well-defined time structure. This has recently permitted collinear laser spectroscopy with stable and radioactive bunched beams to be demonstrated at ISOLDE. Surface-ionized ^{39, 44, 46}K and ⁸⁵Rb beams were accelerated to 30keV, mass separated and injected into the trap for subsequent extraction and delivery to the laser setup. The ions were neutralized in a charge exchange cell and excited with a co-propagating laser. The small ion beam emittance allowed focussing in the ion-laser overlap region, which is essential to achieve the best experimental sensitivity. Fluorescent photons were detected by a photomultiplier tube as a frequency scan was taken. A gate (typically 7-12μs wide) was set on the photomultiplier signal to accept the fluorescent photons within the time window defined by the bunch. Thus, using accumulation times of 100ms, the dominant contribution to background due to continuous laser scattering could be reduced by a factor of up to 4×10⁴ .     

Picosecond fluorescence studies by intracavity gain spectroscopy in a modelocked dye laser

This article presents measurements which combine modelocking technique with intracavity spectroscopy. To test this approach, a sample (10^–5 m ethanolic solution of 1,4-dihydroxyanthranquinone) was inserted in a modelocked Ar⁺ ion laser and probed by intracavity pulses of a synchronously pumped dye laser. The probing of the sample results in an amplification of the dye laser output. Maximum output was measured if the pulses of the dye laser temporally overlapped with those of the Ar⁺ ion laser inside the sample. Under this condition, the spectral laser intensity was shaped by the spectrum of stimulated fluorescence which originated from a molecular vibronic state populated by pump laser excitation.Presented at LASERION '91, June 12–14, 1991, München (Germany)     

钛宝石激光抽运的被动锁模Tm:YAG陶瓷激光实验研究

本文采用连续钛宝石激光作抽运,掺杂浓度为6 at.%、长度为2.7 mm的Tm:YAG陶瓷作增益介质,通过引入半导体饱和吸收体获得了稳定的被动锁模运转.实验中获得的激光锁模功率为116.5 mW,中心波长为2007 nm,重复频率为109 MHz,通过自行搭建的腔外非共线强度自相关测量得到的脉冲宽度是55 ps.     

Rapid shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy with a distributed feedback diode laser emitting at 785 nm

A distributed feedback (DFB) laser diode emitting at 785 nm was tested and applied as a light source for shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS). Due to the physical properties of the laser diode, it was possible to shift the emission wavelength by 8 cm^-1 (0.5 nm) required for our SERDS measurements by simply changing the injection current. The internal grating ensured single mode operation at both wavelength with the frequency stability of ±0.06 cm^-1 (0.004 nm) required for high resolution Raman spectroscopic applications. The shifted spectra were used for calculating enhanced Raman spectra being obscured by a strong scattering background. A 16 dB (≈38 fold) improvement of the signal-to-background noise S̄/σ_B was demonstrated using blackboard chalk as a sample. The tunable DFB laser is a versatile excitation source for SERDS, which could be used in any dispersive Raman system to subtract fluorescence contributions and scattering background. PACS 82.80.Gk; 42.55.-f; 42.64.Fi     

Temperature dependence of the raman spectra of carbon nanotubes with 1064 nm excitation

In this report, the near infrared 1064 nm line of an Nd:YAG laser, which has strong thermal effect, was used as the excitation. A temperature dependence of the Raman spectra of carbon nanotubes was observed at different temperatures by varying the incident laser power. The results show that the relative Raman intensities to the tangential stretching mode (G mode) of the higher-order Raman modes within 2500–3500 cm⁻¹ increase with increasing excitation laser power at the sample and the changes in the relative Raman intensities are linear in the excitation laser power. This has not been reported elsewhere. Thorough analysis shows that this is a temperature dependence of double-phonon Raman scattering and maybe provide important information for the studying of CNTs and double-phonon Raman scattering.     

An efficient lasing action from pyrromethene 556 dye-doped organically modified silicates

Organically modified solid-state silicates (ORMOSILS) doped with a new laser dye 1,3,5,7,8-pentamethylpyrromethene-2,6-disulfonate-BF₂ complex (pyrromethene 556) have been synthesized by a sol-gel method and the compositional effects on pore characteristics, fluorescence and lasing properties have been investigated. It is found that the use of dimethylsulfoxide and γ-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane could greatly change the structure properties of sol-gel derived ORMOSILS cage, and thus the fluorescence and lasing properties of the materials could improve significantly. A successful laser oscillation from this dye-doped ORMOSILS sample has been achieved upon pumping with a Q-switched frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser at 532 nm. A slope efficiency of 54% with a useful lifetime greater than 10,000 shots has been demonstrated at a pump repetition rate of 1 Hz and a pump intensity of 1 J/cm² by using the new ORMOSILS cage on our newly designed laser system. Our results have shown that it is possible to obtain a high-efficiency with a long-lifetime for a compact new laser device by low cost dye-doped solid-state ORMOSILS.     

Efficiency of laser initiation and absorption spectra of PETN

A comparative study of the efficiency of the laser initiation of PETN by the first and second harmonics (1060 and 530 nm) of a neodymium-doped phosphate glass laser was performed. A significant difference in the efficiency of PETN initiation by the different harmonics was revealed: as the initial temperature of the sample increased from 373 to 450 K, the threshold initiation fluence decreased from 3.0 to 0.5 J/cm²; at the same time, the second harmonic failed to initiate PETN even at a fluence of 10 J/cm². The absorption spectrum of PETN was found to have a weak absorption band with a maximum at λ _m = 1020 nm. It was assumed that the high efficiency of initiation by the first harmonic is associated with light absorption (photo-initiation) by this band     

Dispersive infrared photothermal beam deflection spectroscopy

A single-beam dispersive photothermal beam deflection (PBD) spectrometer system usable in the IR range is described. A Nernst glower along with a severely modified Perkin-Elmer Model 421 monochromator were used to illuminate a solid sample with modulated monochromatic IR radiation. The resulting photothermal effect generated at the sample's surface caused modulated changes in the refractive index of the air over the sample, causing a probe laser beam grazing the surface to be deflected. The deflections were measured with a bi-cell silicon photodetector. Experiments and analysis of the deflection system showed that lenses used to focus the probe beam at the sample were not needed, and that an improvement in the PBD signal could be obtained by increasing the sample-to-detector distance, but only until a certain sample-detector separation was attained. The dispersive PBD instrument is less sensitive than one based on an interferometer but can be profitably used for studies requiring control of the modulation frequency. Useful spectra of solids were recorded over the 4000-550 cm⁻¹ region using IR excitation in the approximately 5 × 10⁻⁶−5 × 10⁻⁷W range.     

Space-selective co-precipitation of silver and gold nanoparticles in femtosecond laser pulses irradiated Ag, Au co-doped silicate glass

We report on space-selective co-precipitation of silver and gold nanoparticles in Ag⁺, Au³⁺ co-doped silicate glasses by irradiation of femtosecond laser pulses and subsequent annealing at high temperatures. The color of the irradiated area in the glass sample changed from yellow to red with the increase of the annealing temperature. The effects of average laser power and annealing temperature on precipitation of the nanoparticles were investigated. A reasonable mechanism was proposed to explain the observed phenomena.     

Postnatal development of urea synthesis in VLBW-infants as estimated by 15N-ammonium chloride urine test: Differences between AGA- and SGA-Infants

A prototype off-axis integrated cavity output spectrometer (OA-ICOS) utilizing two identical cavities together with a near-infrared (1.63 μm) external cavity tunable diode laser is described. The two-cavity design—one for a reference gas and one for a sample gas—takes advantage of classical double-beam infrared spectrometer characteristics in reducing uncertainties due to laser scan or power instabilities and major temperature variations by a factor of three or better compared with a single-cavity scheme. This is the first OA-ICOS instrument designed to determine ¹³C/¹²C and ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratios from CO₂ rotation/vibration fine structure in three different combination bands. Preliminary results indicate that at 0.8 Hz a precision of 3.3 and 2.8 \permil\ is obtained for δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O, respectively, over a period of 10 h and a pure CO₂ gas sample at 26 hPa. By averaging 100 spectra over a subset of the data, we achieved a precision of 1.6 and 0.8 \permil\ for δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O, respectively.