Laser radiation confinement at 1.06 μm in compensated gallium arsenide

Experimental data on the YAG:Nd laser radiation (λ=1.06 μm) confinement by self-defocusing in compensated GaAs are reported. It is demonstrated that low-threshold confinement at an energy threshold below 10 pJ is possible for a 10 ns laser pulse width.     

Nano-and microsecond laser pulse confinement in compensated gallium arsenide

Experimental data on the nano-and microsecond pulsed laser radiation (λ=1.315 μm) confinement in compensated GaAs are reported. There are three regions of confinement, which are controlled by radiation selfdefocusing due to single-photon absorption by deep impurity levels, self-defocusing due to two-photon absorption, and self-focusing caused by thermal dynamic lens formation.     

Optical confinement of a laser radiation in the 3.8–4.2 μm range in a composite material containing silver nanoparticles

The results of experiments on the nonlinear optical confinement of a pulsed 3.8–4.2 μm laser radiation in a composite comprising a silver-halide-based dielectric matrix containing dispersed silver nanoparticles are presented. It is shown that, for a laser pulse duration of 250 ns, the energy threshold for the laser radiation confinement is 5 mJ/cm² and the dynamic confinement range exceeds 10.     

A CuBr laser with high efficiency in the double-pumping-pulse mode

The results of examination of characteristics of a CuBr laser operated in the double-pumping-pulse mode with a lasing pulse repetition rate of 50 Hz are presented. The potential to enhance the laser efficiency by choosing the optimum voltages of dissociation and excitation pulses and time delay values is discussed. It is confirmed that a more than twofold increase in the laser efficiency may be achieved through optimization and matched injection of the excitation-pulse energy into the active medium plasma. A laser efficiency as high as 2.6% (with respect to an excitation pulse) with an average power of 16 mW, an energy of 0.32 mJ, a halfamplitude laser pulse duration of 40 ns, and a time delay of 150 μs is demonstrated. The maximum average radiation power is 37 mW with an energy of 0.7 mJ and a laser efficiency of 0.7% at an energy density of 24 (2.7) mJ/cm³ of a dissociation (excitation) pumping pulse.     

CO2 laser radiation confinement in a composite material containing silver nanoparticles

Experimental data are reported on the optical confinement of a pulsed 10.6 μm laser radiation in a composite comprising a dielectric medium with linear optical properties containing dispersed silver nanoparticles. The energy threshold for the laser radiation confinement at a pulse duration of 2 μs does not exceed 10μ J/cm²     

Evaluation of laser drilling of holes in thermal barrier coated superalloys

Abstract

Laser drilling of precise holes in thermal barrier coated Ni based superalloys has been studied. The interplay between various hole geometrical features such as hole shape, taper, barrelling, undercut, etc. and laser parameters such as pulse energy, pulse width and pulse repetition rate have been examined. The hole diameters are seen to follow a linear dependence on the incoming laser power densities for pulse width up to 2·0 ms. However, such a linear dependence was not observed for a pulse width of 3·0 ms. It was found that high pulse energy and short pulse width (high power density) gave crack free recast layer, whereas low pulse energy and longer pulse width (low power density) gave microcracks in the heat affected layer of superalloy. The significant barrelling observed in IN718 material at low power density values is due to multiple reflection of the incident beam from the cavity in combination with plasma formation at the evaporation front and trapping of the incident radiation causing excessive heating in that region.     

Laser-diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:YVO4 green laser with periodically poled KTP and GaAs saturable absorber

A laser-diode-pumped passively Q-switched Nd:YVO₄ green laser with periodically poled KTP (PPKTP) and GaAs saturable absorber has been realized. The dependences of pulse repetition rate, pulse energy, pulse width and peak power on incident pump power for the generated-green-light pulses are measured. At the maximum incident pump power of 4.1 W, the maximum average output power of 113 mW is obtained, corresponding to an optical conversion efficiency of 2.8%. At the same pump power, stable green laser pulses of duration of 44.6 ns and energy of 0.28 µJ are generated at a repetition rate of 403.4 kHz. The coupling wave rate equations for a passively Q-switched laser are also given and the numerical solutions agree with the experimental results.     

A study of the Bi2Sr2CaCu2Oy film bolometer response to constant-power IR laser pulses with a variable duty ratio

An optical rod probe technique was developed for the study of a bolometric response of high-temperature superconductor films on solid substrates exposed to IR laser pulses of constant power and variable duty ratio. The IR radiation was produced by a semiconductor laser with an original pump generator. The method proposed was used to study the characteristics of a superconductor bolometer based on a Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_y film on a MgO substrate. It was found that an increase in the pulse repetition rate of the IR laser from 1 to 7 kHz leads to a drop (by a factor of 2.5) in the variable component of the bolometer response amplitude.     

Q-switched thulium-doped fiber laser operating at 1940 nm region using a pencil-core as saturable absorber

Q-switched thulium-doped fiber laser (TDFL) is demonstrated using pencil-core flakes as a saturable absorber (SA) for the first time. The SA was fabricated by exfoliating pencil-core flakes on adhesive tape surface, then repeatedly folded over the tape until the flakes homogenously deposited on the tape. A small piece of the tape is sandwiched between two ferrules and incorporated in TDFL cavity to realize a stable Q-switching pulse train. By increasing the 1552-nm pump power from 389 to 431 mW, the repetition rate of the TDFL increases from 14.95 to 34.60 kHz while the pulse width decreases from 6.70 to 4.69 μs. The maximum pulse energy of 46.05 nJ is generated with repetition rate and pulse width of 21.25 kHz and 6.27 μs, respectively. To the best our knowledge, this is a first demonstration SA from mundane object as alternative to commercial bulk graphite for Q-switched fiber laser.     

Theoretical and experimental investigations of injection-locked signal extraction of Tm:YAG laser

Injection-seeded is an effective method to obtain high-power pulsed laser with pure spectrum, which is useful to be the laser source of a coherent Doppler LIDAR or a differential absorption LIDAR. In order to achieve the useful injection-locked signal, mode matching between master laser and slave laser is necessary. In this paper, various factors influencing on the extraction of injection-locked signal are analyzed theoretically. Then, experiments on an injection-seeded Tm:YAG laser are carried on, and injection-locked signal is extracted successfully. Moreover, an injection-seeded Tm:YAG laser is achieved, with pulsed single-frequency at 2013 nm, output energy of 3.16 mJ, and pulse width of 238.7 ns, at a repetition rate of 100 Hz.     

Optical confinement of 10-μm radiation by silver chloride nanoparticles

The results of experiments on the nonlinear optical confinement of microsecond pulses of CO₂ laser radiation in a composite material comprising a potassium iodide matrix containing dispersed silver chloride nanoparticles coated by an island film of metallic silver are presented. The energy threshold for the laser radiation confinement is 15 mJ/cm₂ and the dynamic range of confinement amounts to 10³.     

Detailed performance modeling of a pulsed high-power single-frequency Ti:sapphire laser

Differential absorption lidar (DIAL) is a unique technique for profiling water vapor from the ground up to the lower stratosphere. For accurate measurements, the DIAL laser transmitter has to meet stringent requirements. These include high average power (up to 10 W) and high single-shot pulse energy, a spectral purity >99.9%, a frequency instability <60 MHz rms, and narrow spectral bandwidth (single-mode, <160 MHz). We describe extensive modeling efforts to optimize the resonator design of a Ti:sapphire ring laser in these respects. The simulations were made for the wavelength range of 820 nm, which is optimum for ground-based observations, and for both stable and unstable resonator configurations. The simulator consists of four modules: (1) a thermal module for determining the thermal lensing of the Brewster-cut Ti:sapphire crystal collinear pumped from both ends with a high-power, frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser; (2) a module for calculating the in-cavity beam propagations for stable and unstable resonators; (3) a performance module for simulating the pumping efficiency and the laser pulse energy; and (4) a spectral module for simulating injection seeding and the spectral properties of the laser radiation including spectral impurity. Both a stable and an unstable Ti:sapphire laser resonator were designed for delivering an average power of 10 W at a pulse repetition frequency of 250 Hz with a pulse length of approximately 40 ns, satisfying all spectral requirements. Although the unstable resonator design is more complex to align and has a higher lasing threshold, it yields similar efficiency and higher spectral purity at higher overall mode volume, which is promising for long-term routine operations.     

Real time diagnosis of transient pulse laser with high repetition by radial shearing interferometer

Transient, high repetition pulse laser can be applied to test numerous physical parameters, where in situ, real time measurement and isolation of vibration is highly demanded. Because of its short half-width, high power, high repetition, and even large distortion, the laser presents unique challenges to conventional diagnosing methods. A system based on a novel cyclic radial shearing interferometer is proposed to diagnose the transient, high repetition pulse laser with common path, no reference plane, and high precision. With the spatial-carrier methods, the system needs only one interferogram to reconstruct amplitude and wavefront of the laser. The theories of amplitude and wavefront reconstruction have been validated by computer simulation, and errors less than 1/1000lambda are obtained for both. Comparing with the results of the ZYGO interferometer, an error less than 1/20lambda for both peak-valley and root-mean-square values is gained with good repeatability for the wavefront. The calibration process and real time diagnosis of a high repetition pulse laser are presented then. Finally, the error consideration and system optimization are discussed in detail.     

Compact all-solid-state high repetition rate tunable ultraviolet source for airborne atmospheric gas sensing

Abstract

A diode-pumped, all-solid-state, high pulse repetition rate, tunable source of UV radiation is presented. The system is compact, has low power requirements and is suitable for the in situ monitoring of important atmospheric species from an airborne platform. At 3 kHz pulse repetition rate, up to 0.42 ± 0.02 mW of UV radiation was generated and the tuning range extended from ～282 nm to 292 nm. The bandwidth was ≤0.6nm and each pulse had a FWHM duration of 16.0 ± 1.4 ns. The stability of the output was 13% pulse-to-pulse and 4% for an average power measurement. The performance of the system is compared to theoretical expectations.     

On the possibility of increasing the efficiency of sealed-off nitrogen lasers

A sealed-off nitrogen laser operating in a periodic-pulse regime at a repetition rate of 40 Hz has been experimentally studied and it is demonstrated that the laser efficiency can be increased by quasi-stationary energy pumping into the active medium (pure nitrogen or its mixtures with helium or neon). The presence of a buffer gas (helium or neon) allows the energy parameters of radiation to be increased and the laser efficiency to be controlled. A small-sized sealed-off nitrogen laser is developed, which operates at a peak output power of 160 kW and a pulse energy of 0.8 mJ with an efficiency of 0.27%.     

Optimisation of GaAs nanocrystals synthesis by laser ablation in water

Laser ablation of a gallium arsenide (GaAs) wafer immersed in distilled water was carried out using the fundamental wavelength of a high frequency Nd:YAG laser with 240?ns pulse duration. Rate of nanoparticles generation through laser ablation for various amounts of laser pulse energies (0.4–0.94?mJ) and repetition rates (400–2000?Hz) were studied and a maximum ablation rate of 19.6?µgr/s was obtained. Formation of the pure GaAs nanocrystals (NCs) is confirmed using TEM micrograph and X-ray diffraction analysis. Band-gap energy of generated GaAs NCs is calculated by Tauc method to be between 2.48 and 2.60?eV which is larger than the band-gap energy of bulk GaAs. The band-gap energy of NCs is increased by increasing the energy of laser pulses and is decreased by increasing the pulse repetition rate.     

A long cavity passive mode-locking fibre laser with the reflective non-linear optical loop mirror

In this paper, we report a long cavity passively mode-locked fibre laser. The proposed mode locker is a reflective long cavity non-linear optical loop mirror (NOLM) which consists of a 50:50 coupler and 2-km single-mode fibres. The laser achieves stable mode locking at a fundamental repetition rate of 100 kHz. The rectangular pulses operating in dissipative soliton resonance region is generated in the laser. The relationship between the pulse duration and the pump power is investigated in detail. When the pump power is 200 mW, the laser generates rectangular pulses at 1565.57 nm (central wavelength) with pulse duration of 81.5 ns. The single pulse energy as high as 33.34 nJ is obtained. The results show that the reflective NOLM is an efficient mode locker and useful for the generation of high energy pulse.     

Nickel oxide nanoparticles thin film saturable absorber for 1-micron pulsed all-fibre lasers operation

A passive Q-switched and mode-locked ytterbium-doped fibre laser (YDFL) pulse generation using a nickel oxide thin film as a saturable absorber is reported. The nickel oxide nanoparticle thin film was fabricated by a simple processing technique, and it has a modulation depth of 39% and saturation intensity of 0.04 MW/cm². The saturable absorber was constructed by inserting a small piece of the film between two fibre ferrules. Then it was integrated in a YDFL cavity. The Q-switching operation started at a threshold pump power of 117.73 mW with an initial wavelength of 1073.5 nm. When the pump power was raised from 117.73 to 133 mW, the repetition rate grew from 9.5 to 15.8 kHz. The pulses had a maximum pulse energy of 478 nJ. Furthermore, a stable self-started mode-locked pulse was also succesfully generated at the threshold pump power of 97.3 mW. The central wavelength and repetition rate of the laser were 1037.72 nm and 23 MHz, respectively. The maximum pulse energy of 0.56 nJ and a peak power of 26.4 W were recorded at a pump power of 137.5 mW.     

Generation of soliton and bound soliton pulses in mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser using graphene film as saturable absorber

We report an observation of soliton and bound-state soliton in passive mode-locked fibre laser employing graphene film as a passive saturable absorber (SA). The SA was fabricated from the graphene flakes, which were obtained from electrochemical exfoliation process. The graphene flakes was mixed with polyethylene oxide solution to form a polymer composite, which was then dried at room temperature to produce a film. The film was then integrated in a laser cavity by attaching it to the end of a fibre ferrule with the aid of index matching gel. The fibre laser generated soliton pulses with a 20.7 MHz repetition rate, 0.88 ps pulse width, 0.0158 mW average output power, 0.175 pJ pulse energy and 18.72 W peak power at the wavelength of 1564 nm. A bound soliton with pulse duration of ~1.04 ps was also obtained at the pump power of 110.85 mW by carefully adjusting the polarization of the oscillating laser. The formation of bound soliton is due to the direct pulse to pulse interaction. The results show that the proposed graphene-based SA offers a simple and cost efficient approach of generating soliton and bound soliton in mode-locked EDFL set-up.     

Diode-pumped Nd:YAG master oscillator power amplifier with high pulse energy, excellent beam quality, and frequency-stabilized master oscillator as a basis for a next-generation lidar system

A pulsed, diode-laser-pumped Nd:YAG master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) in rod geometry, frequency stabilized with a modified Pound-Drever-Hall scheme is presented. The apparatus delivers 33-ns pulses with a maximum pulse energy of 0.5 J at 1064 nm. The system was set up in two different configurations for repetition rates of 100 or 250 Hz. The beam quality was measured to be 1.5 times the diffraction limit at a pulse energy of 405 mJ and a repetition rate of 100 Hz. At 250 Hz with the same pulse energy, the M2 was better than 2.1. The radiation is frequency converted with an efficiency of 50% to 532 nm. This MOPA system will be the pump laser of transmitters for a variety of high-end, scanning lidar systems.