High-power continuous-wave cr(4+):forsterite laser

The temperature and pump power dependence of infrared luminescence of Cr(4+):forsterite are measured. It is demonstrated that temperature-dependent fluorescence in Cr(4+):forsterite is the major reason for saturation of the output power of a continuous-wave laser. At higher pump intensities the temperature rise inside the crystal becomes significant, and even outside cooling does not help to prevent significant reduction of the laser performance. These measurements serve as a guideline to construct a high-power continuous-wave Cr(4+):forsterite laser.     

Ultrabroadband operation of a cr(4+): forsterite laser by use of a spatially dispersed resonator

Ultrabroadband (half-width of 88 nm) nanosecond Cr(4+):forsterite oscillation was achieved simultaneously in the 1170-1340-nm range (1085 cm(-1)) by use of a spatially dispersed resonator with an intracavity prism pair. The laser demonstrates 4.8% real pump-to-laser efficiency. The oscillation build-up time for different spectral components is around 20 ns and varies by only 2.5 ns in the 1190-1260-nm region, which indicates that the ultrabroadband laser represents a complex multifrequency laser system with nonlinear spectral mode interaction.     

Efficient continuous-wave radiatively cooled cr(4+):forsterite lasers at room temperature

Results of a detailed experimental investigation aimed at reducing the thermal loading problem in a cw Cr(4+):forsterite laser at elevated temperatures are presented. From a Cr(4+):forsterite crystal with a differential absorption coefficient of 0.57 cm(-1), as much as 900 mW of cw output power has been obtained at 1.26 mum and at a crystal boundary temperature of 15 degrees C with an absorbed pump power of only 4.5 W at 1.06 mum. No chopping of the pump beam was necessary. An efficient radiative cooling technique was further employed to cool the laser and no subsequent power fading was observed. To the author's knowledge, the measured absorbed power slope efficiency of 29.5% represents the highest cw power performance reported to date from a Cr(4+):forsterite laser pumped by a Nd:YAG laser around room temperature. The role of the low differential absorption coefficient in the reduction of thermal loading is further elucidated by presenting comparative cw power performance data with a second Cr(4+):forsterite crystal having a differential absorption coefficient of 1.78 cm(-1) in the temperature range between 12 and 35 degrees C. Finally, some interesting multipulse effects of the laser observed in the millisecond regime during quasi-cw operation at 50% duty cycle are described.     

Comparative experimental investigation of thermal loading in continuous-wave cr(4 +):forsterite lasers

Results of a detailed experimental study aimed at reducing the thermal loading effects in room-temperature continuous-wave Cr(4+):forsterite lasers are presented. By using a Nd:YAG pump laser operated at 1.06 mum, the effect of the absorption coefficient and crystal cross-sectional area on the power performance of three crystals was compared between 12 and 36 degrees C. Experiments indicated that a low differential absorption coefficient significantly reduces the pump-induced thermal effects and cavity losses that would otherwise give rise to inefficient operation and increased temperature sensitivity. In particular, a Cr(4+):forsterite crystal with an absorption coefficient of 0.57 cm(-1) yielded as much as 900 mW of output power at 1.26 mum and a crystal temperature of 15 degrees C with an incident pump power of only 7.6 W. To the author's knowledge, the demonstrated slope efficiency of 30% represents the highest continuous-wave power performance reported to date from this laser system at elevated temperatures.     

Pulse amplification of a single-frequency cr:forsterite laser

Stable single-longitudinal-mode operation of a tunable gain-switched Cr:forsterite oscillator-amplifier system is reported. A novel coupled-cavity oscillator configuration provides a low-threshold fluence of 0.3 J cm(-2), making the system attractive for laser media with low gain or high parasitic loss. Nearly transform-limited pulses with instrument-limited bandwidths of 150 MHz have been obtained across a 100-nm wavelength range, limited by the cavity optics. A range of forsterite crystals with Cr(4+) concentration in the 3-21 x 10(18)-cm(-3) range has been used for investigation of amplifier performance in single- and double-pass configurations.     

Intracavity mode-locked and frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser: pump- and mode-size effects

The performance of an intracavity mode-locked and frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser has been analyzed using a method that takes into account the transverse spatial variation of both the gain and the laser mode. The technique leads to a simple numerical procedure that determines the second harmonic power and pulse width in terms of the parameters that characterize the various spatial distributions.     

Intracavity frequency-doubled and stabilized cw ring Nd:YAG laser with a pair of KTP crystals

Generation of an up to 1.5-W single-frequency and a 650-mW frequency-stabilized second harmonic at 1.06 μm has been demonstrated in a cw ring Nd:YAG laser with a pair of properly oriented KTP crystals in which the walk off between the intracavity modes has been eliminated. The frequency stability is better than 5 MHz for the second-harmonic output level of 650 mW. The fluctuation of power is less than 4%. PACS: 42.60. By. 42.65 Ky.     

Spectral transformation of femtosecond Cr:forsterite laser pulses in a flint-glass photonic-crystal fiber

Nonlinear-optical performance of photonic-crystal fibers (PCFs) made of highly nonlinear TF10 glass is studied and compared with the general tendencies of nonlinear-optical interactions in fused-silica PCFs. The loss of TF10 glass PCFs prevents the generation of supercontinuum emission with a broad and flat spectrum, which typically requires propagation lengths comparable with or exceeding the attenuation length of the fiber. However, dispersive-wave emission of solitons, induced by high-order dispersion, phase-matched four-wave-mixing processes, and self-phase-modulation-induced spectral broadening are substantially enhanced in TF10 glass PCFs due to the high material nonlinearity, providing a high efficiency of frequency conversion of Cr:forsterite laser pulses.     

Highly efficient, widely tunable, 10-Hz parametric amplifier pumped by frequency-doubled femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser pulses

We report a 10-Hz, highly efficient, widely tunable (from the visible to the IR), broadband femtosecond optical parametric generator and optical parametric amplifier (OPA) in BBO, LBO, and CBO crystals pumped by the frequency-doubled output of a regeneratively amplified Ti:sapphire laser at 400 nm. The output of the system is continuously tunable from 440 nm to 2.5 mum with a maximum overall efficiency of ~25% at 670 nm and an optical conversion efficiency of more than 36% in the OPA stage. The effects of the seed beam energy, the type of the crystal and the crystal length, and the pumping energy of the output of the OPA, such as the optical efficiency, the bandwidth, the pulse duration, and the group velocity mismatch between the signal and the idler and between the seeder and the pump, are investigated. The results provide useful information for optimization of the design of the system.     

Broadly tunable continuous-wave orange-red source based on intracavity-doubled Cr4+:forsterite laser

The operation of a room-temperature, continuous-wave, intracavity frequency-doubled Cr4+:forsterite laser capable of producing broadly tunable output in the orange-red region of the electromagnetic spectrum is described. Intracavity doubling was achieved in a periodically poled lithium niobate crystal that had gratings with different periods. Tunable second-harmonic output could be obtained between 613 and 655 nm. At a wavelength of 630 nm, intracavity doubling yielded as much as 45 mW of continuous-wave output. To the author's knowledge, this represents the highest second-harmonic-power generation obtained to date with a continuous-wave Cr4+:forsterite laser.     

Passively Q-switched Nd:YVO(4) laser with a Cr(4+):YAG crystal saturable absorber

We demonstrate, for the first time as far as we know, a passively Q-switched operation of a Nd:YVO(4) laser in which a Cr(4+):YAG crystal and a laser-diode bar are used as the saturable absorber and the pump source, respectively. Stable laser pulses as short as 28 ns with 20-muJ energy can be generated with this laser, which has the advantages of simplicity, high efficiency, and good long-term stability.     

Intracavity second-harmonic generation at 320 nm of an actively Q-switched Pr:LiYF4 laser

We demonstrate pulse laser operation of a Pr:LiYF(4) laser pumped by InGaN laser diodes (444 nm) using an acousto-optic modulator. We obtained a maximum laser peak power of 167 W (4 μJ/pulse) with a pulse width of 24 ns at an 11 kHz repetition rate for a 63 nm wavelength. Employing an 8 mm long lithium triborate nonlinear crystal in the laser cavity, we obtained a maximum peak power of 55 W (2.7 μJ/pulse) at 320 nm, which corresponds to a conversion efficiency of 69% with respect to the fundamental laser energy. The UV laser pulse width was 36 ns.     

Laser-diode end-pumped Tm(3+):YAG eye-safe laser

The lasing characteristics of a laser-diode end-pumped Tm:YAG laser were investigated. We obtained a laser output power of 124 mW, a slope efficiency of 36%, and a threshold power of 77 mW with a 3% Tm-doped YAG crystal at room temperature. This lasing performance was improved when the crystal was cooled. The dependencies of both slope efficiency and threshold power on temperature were measured.     

Low-threshold self-starting femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser

A low-threshold self-starting Kerr-lens mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser is demonstrated that uses a tight-focusing cavity design in conjunction with a semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror (SESAM). With 3% and 12% output couplers, we achieve mode-locking thresholds as low as 390 and 600 mW, respectively. Stable femtosecond laser pulses with average power of 114 mW are generated at a pump power of 1.2 W, which corresponds to a typical duration of 17 fs and bandwidth of 47 nm. Mode-locking operation is achieved in a pump power range of 600 mW to 4.8 W at an output coupling of 12%; the advantages of using a SESAM for low-power mode-locking operation are demonstrated.     

Excitation of a Cr:forsterite laser to the (3)T(1) band

Laser oscillation of Cr:forsterite was obtained with ruby laser pumping to the lowest-lying levels of the (3)T(1) band in Cr(4+). Pump polarization effects, temporal response, and broadband 220-nm tuning are reported. Frequency doubling in potassium titanyl phosphate generate tunable red-yellow light. This unconventional excitation scheme is of interest for potential high-energy output and for direct diode pumping.     

The two-photon excitation of SiO(2)-coated Y(2)O(3):Eu(3+) nanoparticles by a near-infrared femtosecond laser

In order to improve the photoluminescence property of Eu(3+)-doped nanoparticles, Y(2)O(3):Eu(3+) nanoparticles were synthesized using the Pechini-type sol-gel method, then coated with SiO(2) shells by using the St?ber method for different coating times. The SiO(2)-coated nanoparticles were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy, and their photoluminescence spectra were recorded under 800?nm femtosecond laser excitation. The results indicate that a two-photon simultaneous absorption upconversion luminescence is obtained, and their upconversion luminescence intensities are further enhanced after the surfaces of the nanoparticles are coated with different thickness SiO(2) shells. Compared to the upconversion luminescence intensity of non-coated nanoparticles at 611?nm, the upconversion luminescence intensities of SiO(2)-coated Y(2)O(3):Eu(3+) nanoparticles with coating times of 60, 90 and 120?min were enhanced by 3.30, 3.96 and 4.13 times, respectively. This can be attributed to the contributions of the increased amounts of Eu(3+) ions populated at the (5)D(0) level on the surfaces of the nanoparticles because the cooperative ligand fields between the Y(2)O(3) core and non-crystalline SiO(2) shell interfaces activate the 'dormant' Eu(3+) ions near or on the surfaces of the nanoparticles. From a Judd-Ofelt (J-O) theory analysis, the coated shell structures can improve the radiative quantum efficiencies of Eu(3+)-doped nanoparticles. It is therefore concluded that more intense red upconversion luminescence with high radiative quantum efficiencies can enable the SiO(2)-coated Y(2)O(3):Eu(3+) nanoparticles to have the great potential to be used as a fine resolution phosphor.     

High-power efficient continuous-wave TEM00 intracavity frequency-doubled diode-pumped Nd:YLF laser

We describe experimental results with a diode-pumped, intracavity-doubled cw Nd:YLF laser in multilongitudinal mode and TEM00 spatial transverse mode with a critical phase-matched lithium triborate crystal. Taking into account the thermal effects of Nd:YLF, energy-transfer upconversion, and the thermal fracture limit, we set up a power-scaling model to optimize and design a fundamental diode-pumped Nd:YLF laser. A highly efficient second-harmonic laser was achieved, based on the optimized cavity design. A second-harmonic-generation output power of 20.5 W at a wavelength of 527 nm was obtained at an incident pump power of 60 W, corresponding to an optical-to-optical efficiency of 34.2%. The TEM00 mode green laser operates at a measured M2 parameter of 1.2. The instability of the green laser power is less than +/- 1% RMS.     

Chromium-doped forsterite: the influence of crystal characteristics on laser performance

A study of the dependence of the gain-switched laser operation of chromium forsterite on crystal parameters is presented. Results are reported for a wide range of chromium (IV) ion concentration: 0.02-0.12 at. % and 12-41 figure of merit, with emphasis on performance of the recently developed material with a dopant level of >0.10 at. %. Threshold and slope efficiency calculations are compared with measured performance for all crystals, with variation of pump polarization and output coupling. With 3% output coupling, the lowest threshold of 1.8 mJ, and highest slope efficiency of 13% were measured for a short, high-dopant-level crystal. With 33% output coupling a slope efficiency of 44% was measured for this crystal. Results demonstrate the considerable potential of short, high-dopant-level crystals for applications such as amplification, diode pumping, and narrow-bandwidth operation.     

Surface ablation of RbTiOPO4 by femtosecond laser

We report here the results obtained in surface ablation of RbTiOPO₄ single crystals by femtosecond laser. We fabricated and characterized one-dimensional (1D) diffraction gratings with different lattice spacings of 15 and 20 μm, and with a sub-modulation of the period introduced in the later. The optical and electronic microscopy characterization and filling factor analysis of these diffraction gratings are reported. We also show that the roughness generated on the grooves by the ablation process can be improved by chemical etching.     

Intracavity frequency doubling and Q switching in diode-laser-pumped Nd:YVO(4) lasers

A highly efficient and compact Nd:YVO(4) laser is proposed. In cw operation, a single-longitudinal-mode output of 95 mW and a multilongitudinal-mode output of 435 mW have been observed at 1.06 μm with a 1-W diode laser. Using a KTP crystal in the short laser cavity, a green output of 105 mW was generated. A Q-switched pulse with a peak power of 230 W and a pulse width of 8 ns was obtained with the intracavity KTP crystal, which was used as both an electro-optic Q switch and a frequency doubler.