Efficiency and threshold pump intensity of CW solar-pumpedsolid-state lasers

The authors consider the relation between the threshold pumping intensity, the material properties, the resonator parameters, and the ultimate slope efficiencies of various solid-state laser materials for solar pumping. They clarify the relation between the threshold pump intensity and the material parameters and the relation between the ultimate slope efficiency and the laser resonator parameters such that a design criterion for the solar-pumped solid-state laser can be established. Among the laser materials evaluated, alexandrite has the highest slope efficiency of about 12.6%; however, it does not seem to be practical for a solar-pumped laser application because of its high threshold pump intensity. Cr:Nd:GSGG is the most promising for solar-pumped lasing     

YAG laser operation by semiconductor laser pumping

Yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) laser operation has been achieved using a single gallium arsenide laser diode as the pump. Repetition rates of 200 pulses per second have been achieved in initial experiments. Compared to flashlamp pumping, semiconductor laser pumping requires less. than 5 percent of the light energy to accomplish YAG lasing. Extraordinary repeatability of laser output, pulse to pulse, has been obtained.     

Green-emitting organic vertical-cavity laser pumped by InGaN-based laser diode

An organic vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser is demonstrated, which is pumped by an InGaN-based blue laser diode. The vertical-cavity laser structure consists of a poly-N-vinylcarbazole film doped with Coumarin 540A and two Bragg reflectors made of TiO₂/SiO₂ quarter-wave thin films. By driving the pump laser diode with a pulse width of 3.5 ns, singlemode lasing was achieved at a wavelength of 540 nm for a threshold pump power of 137 mW/pulse.     

LD端面抽运Nd:YLF/Nd:YAG多波长脉冲激光器

报道了一台激光二极管(LD)双端面抽运Nd:YLF和Nd:YAG双晶体串接多波长输出脉冲激光器。在抽运能量40.5mJ,电光调Q重复频率500Hz的工作条件下,获得单脉冲能量约为6mJ的1064nm/1053nm双波长激光脉冲输出,光-光转换效率约为14.8%。相同抽运条件下在腔内插入I类相位匹配LBO晶体作为非线性频率转换器,获得了脉冲总能量为3.6mJ的526.5、529.0、532.0nm三波长同时输出,由抽运光到输出绿光脉冲的转换效率约为8.9%,测得光束质量因子分别为M2x=1.61,My2=1.25。     

Study of Lasing Action in a Pulsed Optically Pumped D<Subscript>2</Subscript>O Gas Terahertz Laser

A modified three-level laser kinetics model for a pulsed high-power optically pumped gas terahertz laser is introduced and used to model the lasing kinetics process of a gas terahertz laser system. We, for the first time to our knowledge, investigated the time evolution dynamics process of the pump intensity, population distribution among the energy levels, pump and THz signal gain coefficient, and the THz laser intensity within the pulsed D₂O gas THz laser. High-power THz pulse with peak power of about 7.4 kW and pulse width of 145 ns at wavelength of 385 μm were obtained in the simulation, using an incident pump pulse with peak power of 2.2 MW and pulse width of 110 ns. THz pulse delay of 40 ns and pulse broadening of 35 ns were quantitatively analyzed. In addition, the experimental results for the pulse profile, pulse width, pulse broadening, pulse energy, and peak power are in agreement with the theoretical simulation results.     

Frequency-tunable optically pumped carbon monoxide laser

Single-line frequency-tunable lasing was observed in an optically pumped, repetitively pulsed, room-temperature CO laser for the first time. The R(0) and R(7) ro-vibrational transitions in the (2,0) overtone of CO at 2.3 μm were optically pumped with a high-energy optical parametric oscillator. Single-line lasing was observed on (2,1) P(2)-P(17) transitions and R(0)-R(11) transitions (covering wavelengths within the range 4.6-4.9 μm) when using a diffraction grating as the spectrally selective reflector of the laser resonator. The observed CO laser pulse lengths were ~10^-7 s with peak power up to 10⁴ W. The influence of CO pressure, the addition of buffer gas (He, Ar), Q-factor of the laser resonator, and the pump pulse energy on CO laser pulse temporal characteristics and output energy spectral distribution was studied experimentally     

Properties of two-photon pumped cavity lasing in novel dye dopedsolid matrices

Two-photon pumped frequency upconversion cavity lasing at ~600 nm is accomplished in three types of dye-doped solid rods pumped with ~10 ns and 1.06-μm IR laser pulses. The dopant is a new dye, trans-4-[p-(N-ethyl-N-(hydroxyethyl)amino)styryl]-N-methylpyridinium tetraphenylborate, abbreviated as ASPT, which possesses a greater two-photon absorption cross section and stronger upconversion fluorescence emission than common commercial dyes (such as rhodamine). Three different materials were chosen as solid matrices: poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate), VYCOR porous glass, and sol-gel glass. Using a Q-switched Nd:YAG pulse laser as the pump source, strong cavity lasing could be achieved in these three ASPT doped solid rods as well as in ASPT solution in a liquid cell. The spectral, temporal, and spatial characteristics of the cavity lasing output have been systematically investigated. The measured output-input characteristics, lasing lifetime, and damage threshold for the three different rods are presented     

Excited singlet-state absorption in dyes and their effect on dye lasers

The performance of dye lasers with excited singlet-state absorption (ESA) at the pump and the lasing wavelengths is analyzed for short pulse pumped systems in the medium range of pumping intensities. Analytical and numerical solutions are presented for a wide range of the variable parameters such as ESA cross sections, the cavity reflectivity, and the pumping intensity. An experiment is described for measuring ESA cross sections in the pumping as well as the lasing regions, and the results for rhodamine 6G and rhodamine B are given, showing that due to ESA, the effective gain of the laser will be much lower than that expected from previously published data on the stimulated emission cross sections.     

Tunable Fiber Laser Using a Broad-Band Fiber Mirror and a Tunable FBG as Laser-Cavity Ends

By using a broad-band fiber mirror (BFM) and a tunable fiber-Bragg-grating at either end of laser cavity, a wavelength tunable erbium-doped fiber laser is demonstrated. In a forward pump scheme using 100 mW pump power at 1480 nm, stable lasing output power of 21.14-mW measured at 1544.8 nm is obtained with a threshold pump power of 4.7 mW. A side-mode suppression ratio as high as 57.9 dB, wavelength tuning range up to 30 nm with step resolution of 0.2 nm and power variation less than plusmn1.0 dB are achieved. For a backward pump scheme, the BFM acts as a broad-band reflector both for the lasing signal and pump source. The high performance, cost-effective BFM based tunable fiber laser may play an important role in fiber optics communication and fiber sensing applications.     

Performance and Spectral Tuning of Optically Overtone Pumped Molecular Lasers

A laser model was developed to predict the performance of optically pumped higher overtone molecular lasers under pulsed and continuous wave (CW) excitations. This model takes into account up to 30 rotational levels in each of the eight vibrational states considered. Collision-induced relaxation among rotational levels, vibrational levels, energy transfer to translational degrees of freedom, and interactions with buffer gas, and the temperature dependence of these processes are included. Using parameters for a second overtone pulse pumped HBr laser, a complete lasing cascade can be expected at a certain pump pulse fluence resulting in maximum achievable efficiencies approaching 80%. Optimum operational pressure and temperature conditions are determined by the gas kinetic rates and line broadening effects. Frequency tuning and spectral narrowing of the laser output is possible with the insertion of intracavity filters without sacrificing laser output power owing to efficient energy redistribution between rotational levels mediated by appropriate buffer gases. CW lasing using waveguide (WG) like geometries is possible with efficiencies approaching 92% for first overtone pumped lasers. Heat conduction through the active gas enhanced by buffer gases and subsequent heat dissipation through the cooled WG walls are expected to handle the thermal load up to kW output power levels.     

Excited state absorption of pump radiation as a loss mechanism insolid-state lasers

The characteristics of optical pumping dynamics in laser-pumped, rare-earth-doped, solid-state laser materials are investigated by using a tunable alexandrite laser to pump Y₃Al₅O₁₂ :Nd³⁺ in an optical cavity. It is found that the slope efficiency of the Nd laser operation depends strongly on the wavelength of the pump laser. For pump wavelengths resulting in low slope efficiencies, intense fluorescence emission is observed from the sample in the blue-green spectral region. This is attributed to the excited-state absorption of pump photons which occurs during radiationless relaxation from the pump band to the metastable state. This type of process is an important loss mechanism for monochromatic pumping of laser systems at specific pump wavelengths     

激射波长和泵浦波长对掺Yb~(3+)双包层光纤激光器的影响

为探讨激射波长和泵浦波长对掺Yb3+双包层光纤激光器的影响,数值模拟了泵浦波长为975nm和915nm,激射波长在1050nm至1120nm范围变化时,掺Yb3+双包层光纤激光器的输出特性.结果表明,当泵浦波长为975nm,激射波长在1088nm左右,以及泵浦波长为915nm时,激射波长在1080nm左右时,双向泵浦和反向泵浦的掺Yb3+双包层光纤激光器输出功率达到最大值.与915nm的泵浦源相比,利用975nm泵浦可使泵浦阈值功率降低以及获得更高的激光翰出功率.泵浦波长为975nm和915nm时,激射波长在1090nm附近,阈值功率达到最低值.所得的结果对激光器的优化设计具有重要意义.     

40-GHz picosecond-pulse second-harmonic generation in an MgO-doped PPLN waveguide

Second-harmonic generation (SHG) of 40-GHz picosecond optical pulses with different pulsewidths, pulse energies, and central wavelengths in a MgO-doped periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) waveguide is studied experimentally and theoretically. In the experiments, the picosecond pulses are generated from a 40-GHz mode-locked fiber laser and two tunable filters, with which the lasing wavelength can be tuned from 1530 to 1570 nm, and the pulsewidth can be tuned from 2 to 7 ps. The second-harmonic (SH) pulses are generated when the picosecond pump pulses pass through the MgO-doped PPLN waveguide. Dependences of SHG on pump pulsewidth, average pump power, and pump central wavelength are then investigated systematically. Meanwhile, dynamic behaviors of both pump and SH pulses in propagation are simulated numerically. Based on the temporal and spectral characteristics of SHG, a quantitative and systematic analysis on SHG efficiencies in terms of both pulse energy and spectral peak is presented. The simulation results are in good agreement with the measured data.     

Output characteristics of diode pumped fiber ASE sources

High power amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) from multicore Nd:fibers pumped by laser diode arrays is investigated experimentally and theoretically. Particular examination is made of threshold conditions at which lasing occurs. A model is presented which describes output power for arbitrary end reflectors. Experimental measurements of lasing threshold reflectivity versus pump power are made and are shown to deviate from the usual laser threshold condition at high pump powers. It is demonstrated that feedback from Rayleigh backscattering can be sufficient to drive the ASE source above lasing threshold in certain configurations     

Spectra of the lowest excited singlet states of rhodamine 6G and rhodamine B

Excited states of laser dyes were generated in solution by an intense 6 ns laser pump pulse tuned to the absorption maximum of the longest wavelength, ground state absorption band. They were interrogated by a shorter, simultaneous, monochromatic pulse of smaller diameter, concentric and collinear with the pump, having a crossed polarization. Plots of transmission curves against intensity for the pump beams approached residual absorptions at the highest intensities. Gain or attenuation of the probe was measured throughout the region of the long wavelength absorption bands, at the 578.2 nm copper vapor laser wavelength, and for rhodamine 6G across the lasing band. Gains were determined at different probe intensities, and were extrapolated to small-signal values. The dyes have fluorescences at the ground state absorption maxima, hence pumping at these wavelengths cannot achieve 100 percent S1population. Auxiliary saturation transmissions were determined beyond the fluorescence bands and the first experiments were corrected to give a measure ofsigma_{e} - sigma^{ast}, the difference between the stimulated emission cross section and the excited state absorption cross section. Assumptions in the experiment and improvements in experimental technique are discussed.     

切换式双波长激发在掺镱和铒镱共掺复合式光纤激光器中的实现

抽运旁通腔型的掺镱光纤(YDF)激光器内剩余的抽运光功率随着入射抽运功率的变化呈现出光学双稳特性,这导致了用它来抽运另一个分叉腔的铒镱共掺光纤(EYDF)增益介质可获得第二个信号波长激发的可能性。根据这一原理,从实验上获得了1040 nm和1537 nm两个激发线的可切换振荡,这表明基于掺镱光纤激光器光学双稳态的复合腔结构(掺镱光纤激光器的抽运旁通腔和铒镱共掺光纤分叉腔)是实现切换式双波长光纤激光器光源的一个简单有效的方法。     

一种新型有机染料HEASPS的激光上转换和光限幅性能

报道了一种新型上转换染料———反式 4 [4’ (N 羟乙基 N 乙基胺基 )苯乙烯基 ] N 甲基吡啶 对甲苯磺酸盐(trans 4 [4’ (N hydroxyethyl N ethylamino)styryl] N methylpyridiniump toluenesulfonate ,简称HEASPS)DMF溶液的激光上转换性质和光限幅性质。用Z 扫描技术测得其双光子吸收截面为σ2 =4.7× 10 -4 8cm4 ·s/photon ,研究了它在DMF溶剂中的线性吸收、单光子荧光、双光子荧光和双光子激射特性 ,用再吸收效应解释了双光子荧光峰相对单光子荧光峰的红移现象 ,该染料的激射和再吸收现象相互竞争导致了双光子激射峰相对于双光子荧光峰的蓝移现象。在 10 6 4nm皮秒脉冲激光的激发下 ,可得强烈的 6 2 6nm上转换激射光 ,上转换效率最高为 15 .5 % ,从抽运光到激射光的净转换效率为 2 6 %。该染料的DMF溶液表现出明显的光限幅特性     

可调谐紫翠宝石激光器

用三元石英双折射滤光片对紫翠宝石激光进行调谐,已得到从735.7～796.1nm间60.4nm的连续调谐输出。用LiF被动晶体Q开关工作时激光线宽约为0.001nm。调谐时输出能量无明显下降,振荡阈值只增加了5％。     

用于微弱信号放大的高性能窄线宽纳秒脉冲光纤放大器

搭建了一台主振荡功率放大(MOPA)结构的单模线偏振窄线宽纳秒脉冲全光纤放大器,理论仿真和实验结果较为吻合。通过声光调制器(AOM)对连续单频1 064 nm激光进行调制,获得了重复频率50 kHz、平均功率25 W的脉冲激光,作为放大器的种子源。对预放大过程中非线性效应、放大自发辐射、自激振荡及泵浦饱和问题进行了仿真分析。随后对种子光进行功率放大,通过光纤内参数的有效优化,进一步抑制了自激振荡,提升了弱信号的放大倍率。实验实现了脉冲宽度64 ns、平均功率75 mW的脉冲激光输出。最后,对亚毫瓦弱信号放大器中决定系统性能的关键因素进行了总结。     

激光功率密度对低浓度若丹明6G染料激射寿命的影响

把固体染料激光器工作介质激射寿命的概念推广到液体染料激光器中,同时提出了一种针对液体激光染料激射寿命的双激光光路测试方法.该方法使用波长为532 nm的Nd:YAG脉冲激光器作为抽运光来模拟染料激光器中的抽运条件,用波长相同的低功率连续激光作为监测染料分子在抽运光作用下失效速率的手段.利用半导体制冷器件,PID温控仪和水浴槽实现了液体染料的恒温控制.测量了激光平均功率密度从6.3×103～2.2×104 W/m2变化范围内R6G染料乙醇溶液的激射寿命.实验结果表明,染料的激射寿命与抽运光功率密度成反比,比例系数可以解释为染料分解一半时,分子单位吸收截面上累积的辐照能量.用该系数表征染料的激射寿命特征更具有普遍意义.