Experimental determination of the lidar overlap profile with Raman lidar

The range-dependent overlap between the laser beam and the receiver field of view of a lidar can be determined experimentally if a pure molecular backscatter signal is measured in addition to the usually observed elastic backscatter signal, which consists of a molecular component and a particle component. Two methods, the direct determination of the overlap profile and an iterative approach, are presented and applied to a lidar measurement. The measured overlap profile accounts for actual system alignment and for all system parameters that are not explicitly known, such as actual laser beam divergence and spatial intensity distribution of the laser light.     

Sharper focal spot formed by higher-order radially polarized laser beams

The intensity distributions near the focal point for radially polarized laser beams including higher-order transverse modes are calculated based on vector diffraction theory. For higher-order radially polarized mode beams as well as a fundamental mode (R-TEM01*) beam, the strong longitudinal component forms a sharper spot at the focal point under a high-NA focusing condition. In particular, double-ring-shaped radially polarized mode (R-TEM11*) beams can effectively reduce the focal spot size because of destructive interference between the inner and the outer rings with pi phase shift. Compared with an R-TEM01* beam focusing in a limit of NA=1, the full width at half-maximum values of the focal spot for an R-TEM11* beam are decreased by 13.6% for the longitudinal component and 25.8% for the total intensity.     

独立分量分析及其在故障诊断中的应用

独立分量分析是盲源分离的一种新方法，其处理的对象是相互统计独立的信号源经线性组合而产生的一组混合信号，最终目的是从混合信号中分离出各独立的信号分量。本简要介绍了独立分量分析的基本思想及算法，并对现场采集到的多组振动信号进行了分析，结果表明，独立分量分析在对混合信号进行盲分离方面具有很强的能力，从而为机械设备状态监测与故障诊断提供了一种行之有效的信号预处理的新方法。     

Implementation of intra-cavity beam shaping technique to enhance pump efficiency

In this work we propose an implementation of a new intra-cavity beam shaping technique to vary the intensity distribution of the fundamental mode in a resonator cavity while maintaining a constant intensity distribution at the output. This method can be useful for fitting a transversal intensity profile of the required mode with a pump beam profile in the region of the active medium to increase mode discrimination.     

An information-theoretic methodology for the resolution of pure component spectra without prior information using spectroscopic measurements

The resolution of pure component spectra based on spectroscopic measurements from a reaction system is a challenging task for chemometric systems in the absence of a priori knowledge about the reaction components involved. A popular approach in the literature is based on constrained entropy minimization of the second-order derivative of the resolved pure component spectra. Using an analytical information theoretic framework, it can however be shown that minimization of this cost function is not sufficient to completely separate the underlying components from a set of mixture spectra. Instead, an augmented objective function derived from this analysis is proposed for complete minimization of the mutual information between separated components. The final optimization approach is further shown to be analog to independent component analysis (ICA), a signal processing technique successfully applied to biomedical and speech data to separate linear source mixtures in the absence of a priori information. The developed theoretical insights and proposed methodologies in this paper are illustrated in a simulation study on the separation of three component spectra based on absorbance data acquired from a first-order kinetic reaction system.     

Dual beam light profile microscopy: a new technique for optical absorption depth profilometry

Light profile microscopy (LPM) is a recently developed technique of optical inspection that is used to record micrometer-scale images of thin-film cross-sections on a direct basis. In single beam mode, LPM provides image contrast based on luminescence, elastic, and/or inelastic scatter. However, LPM may also be used to depth profile the optical absorption coefficient of a thin film based on a method of dual beam irradiation presented in this work. The method uses a pair of collimated laser beams to consecutively irradiate a film from two opposing directions along the depth axis. An average profile of the beam's light intensity variation through the material is recovered for each direction and used to compute a depth-dependent differential absorbance profile. This latter quantity is shown from theory to be related to the film's depth-dependent optical absorption coefficient through a simple linear model that may be inverted by standard methods of numerical linear algebra. The inverse problem is relatively well posed, showing good immunity to data errors. This profilometry method is experimentally applied to a set of well-characterized materials with known absorption properties over a scale of tens of micrometers, and the reconstructed absorption profiles were found to be highly consistent with the reference data.     

环形斑激光束在非线性克尔介质中的光束分裂效应

通过数值求解非线性Schrodinger方程,详细讨论了环形斑激光束在非线性克尔介质中的传输特性.当入射光超过一定功率时,光束产生多级自聚焦现象;传输过程中光束出现分裂现象,光束分裂的方式、分裂程度与入射光强度有关,并且光束分裂与自聚焦焦点处强度相联系.     

Two-faceted mirror for active integration of coherent high-power laser beams

A new integration method suited for spatially coherent high-power laser beams is demonstrated. The integrator system is based on a mirror with two facets, one of which can vibrate under the action of a piezoelectric translator. After reflection in the faceted mirror, the beam intensity distribution is modified to obtain greater uniformity. However, because of the coherence of the reflected beamlets, this distribution is affected by an interference pattern. The active integration consists of a periodic displacement of the moving facet that causes the interference pattern to vibrate, and its contribution to the intensity profile therefore averages out (fringe visibility within a 5% range). The combination of a faceted mirror and a simple imaging system results in an intensity profile with good uniformity over large spot sizes. Both simulated and experimental results are presented, the latter showing that a final uniformity within a 10% range can be achieved and it is limited mainly by diffraction at the edges of the facets.     

Beam quality after propagation of Nd:YAG laser light through large-core optical fibers

Laser beam characteristics are altered during propagation through large-core optical fibers. The distribution of modes excited by the input laser beam is modified by means of mode coupling on transmission through the fiber, leading to spatial dispersion of the profile and, ultimately and unavoidably, to degradation in the quality of the delivered beam unless the beam is spatially filtered with consequent power loss. Furthermore, a mismatch between the intensity profile of a typical focused high-power laser beam and the profile of the step-index fiber gives rise to additional beam-quality degradation. Modern materials processing applications demand ever higher delivered beam qualities (as measured by a parameter such as M(2)) to achieve greater machining precision and efficiency, a demand that is currently in conflict with the desire to utilize the convenience and flexibility of large-core fiber-optic beam delivery. We present a detailed experimental investigation of the principal beam-quality degradation effects associated with fiber-optic beam delivery and use numerical modeling to aid an initial discussion of the causes of such degradation.     

Reducing the uncertainty in laser beam size measurement with a scanning edge method

A modification in the analysis of a conventional laser beam spot size measurement method has been developed. The new analysis significantly decreases the uncertainty in the estimation of the beam-spot size. A conventional beam scanning approach was used in the measurement, but instead of differentiating the data and fitting the result to a Gaussian function, the data were fit to an analytical approximation to the complementary error function. As a result, fitted parameters were obtained that were consistent with the standard differentiation approach, but with considerably smaller uncertainty.     

Dynamical stable cavity of side-pumped thin-disk laser with slanted sides

In this article, we use the results of finite-element analysis (FEA) of temperature distribution, deformation, and stress to provide a full three-dimensional simulation of a dynamically stable cavity by propagating wavefront into hot, thermally deformed Yb:YAG/YAG thin-disk laser, using the fast Fourier transform (FFT) split-step beam propagation method (BPM). The wave optics computation therefore delivers realistic results for important features of a laser-like intensity, phase profile, and resonator eigenvalues and higher order-eigenmodes of the laser beam.     

Research on real time detection of departure angle for the laser beam through atmospheric channels

The precision of departure angle detection for the laser beam can be improved by optimizing algorithms by which the high precision and stability of the laser beam pointing and tracking would be obtained, namely, improving the performance and accommodation of the free space optical communications. Atmospheric turbulence-induced optical intensity scintillations have a strong impact on the location precision of the laser spot through the atmospheric channels. Consequently, new requests come into view for the optimization of the algorithms. In the paper, the advantages and disadvantages of the traditional centroid method are analyzed. In terms of variations of laser spot, combined with the requests for real-time detection of departure angle, we proposed a new detection method. The edge of the laser spot on the detection sensor was redefined, and then the redefined spot was used to calculate the departure angle of the laser beam. The results of the simulations and experiments show that the precision of departure angle detection has been improved by more than 16%, which could reduce the effect of detection errors on the tracking procedure.     

Propagation of a partially coherent beam from an unstable resonator through turbulent atmosphere

The influence of atmospheric turbulence on the propagation of a partially coherent beam from an unstable resonator was studied numerically. The resonant mode of the unstable resonator is obtained by iterative calculation using the Huygens–Fresnel formula. Also, using the extended Huygens–Fresnel integral, the intensity distribution of a propagating laser beam is calculated for different conditions. The influence of turbulence on the profile of partially coherent beams of an unstable resonator is studied. The effects of geometrical parameters of the resonator on the far-field beam profile are investigated. The results show that an unstable resonator with higher magnification has a superior far-field beam profile under partial coherency and turbulence conditions.     

Depth profiling by confocal Raman microspectroscopy: semi-empirical modeling of the Raman response

It has been well documented that the use of dry optics in depth profiling by confocal Raman microspectroscopy significantly distorts the laser focal volume, thus negatively affecting the spatial resolution of the measurements. In that case, the resulting in-depth confocal profile is an outcome of several contributions: the broadening of the laser spot due to instrumental factors and diffraction, the spreading of the illuminated region due to refraction of the laser beam at the sample surface, and the influence of the confocal aperture in the collection path of the laser beam. Everall and Batchelder et al. developed simple models that describe the effect of the last two factors, i.e., laser refraction and the diameter of the pinhole aperture, on the confocal profile. In this work, we compare these theoretical predictions with experimental data obtained on a series of well-defined planar interfaces, generated by contact between thin polyethylene (PE) films (35, 53, 75, and 105 microm thickness) and a much thicker poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) piece. We included two refinements in the above-mentioned models: the broadening of the laser spot due to instrumental factors and diffraction and a correction for the overestimation in the decay rate of collection efficiency predicted by Batchelder et al. These refinements were included through a semiempirical approach, consisting of independently measuring the Raman step-response in the absence of refraction by using a silicon wafer and the actual intensity decay of a thick and transparent polymer film. With these improvements, the model reliably reproduces fine features of the confocal profiles for both PE films and PMMA substrates. The results of this work show that these simple models can not only be used to assist data interpretation, but can also be used to quantitatively predict in-depth confocal profiles in experiments carried out with dry optics.     

Near- and far-field properties of annular CO(2) waveguide lasers

The theoretical and experimental investigation of field properties of annular waveguide lasers with a Fabry-Perot resonator is presented. Oscillation with high azimuthal mode order leads to an annular intensity distribution in the far field with almost linear dependence of the annular diameter on the mode order. Low-order fields form a distinct focal spot in the far field. A laser device with a discharge area of 6-cm diameter and 53-cm length yields an output power of 600 W.     

Influence of laser array performance on spectrally combined beam

Abstract

Incoherent spectral beam combining (SBC) of multiple laser beams is accomplished along the emitters’ arraying direction. Considering that the output beams from a laser array (LA) usually have deflection angles, positional displacements and divergence angles even after being collimated, a propagation model of SBC systems based on multilayer dielectric gratings has been built up. On the basis, properties of the spectrally combined beam affected by parameters of the LA have been discussed in detail. Simulation results show that with the increase in the deflection angle, both the power and the beam quality of the combined beam degrade dramatically. The positional displacement has little impact on the intensity distribution and the beam quality of combined beam but change the wavelength composition of the combined beam. The divergence angle strongly affects the intensity distribution and the beam quality of the combined beam. Additionally, the effect of the deflection angle on the output beam quality is more obvious and may shift the beam spot when comparing with that of the divergence angle.     

Microlenses and Microlens Arrays Formed on a Glass Plate by Use of a CO(2) Laser

Microlenses and microlens arrays were formed directly on a surface of a glass plate by use of a CO(2) laser. When the surface of a glass plate is heated locally to a working point of the glass material by use of a focused CO(2) laser beam, it tends to become a hyperboloid owing to surface tension, which results in a microlens. A profile of the microlens was measured with an ultrahigh accurate three-dimensional profilometer (Model UA3P, Matsusita Electric Industrial Company Ltd.) that utilizes a specially designed atomic force microscope. An intensity profile and a spot diameter at the focus of the microlens were measured with a microscope and a CCD system utilizing a He-Ne laser as a light source. The focused spot FWHM diameter of 1.35 mum was obtained, and the modulation transfer function was derived from the spot profile. Microlens arrays were also fabricated and characterized.     

Laser beam intensity profile transformation with a fabricated mirror

A nonaxisymmetric mirror is designed by the same method as a computer-generated hologram for laser beam intensity profile transformation and is fabricated by plasma chemical vaporization machining. We successfully transformed a circular Gaussian beam of a He-Ne laser into a rectangular uniform beam maintaining spatial coherence and using a nonaxisymmetric surface profile mirror. There are ripples in the intensity profile of the transformed rectangular beam. These ripples in the intensity profile result from small ripples on the mirror surface. These results show that we can perform coordinate transformation using these fabricated mirrors, which has so far been possible only by using computer-generated holograms.     

Analytical calculation of the longitudinal electric field resulting from the tight focusing of an ultrafast transverse-magnetic laser beam

A purely time-domain approach is proposed for the propagation of vectorial ultrafast beams in free space beyond the paraxial and the slowly varying envelope approximations. As an example of application of this method, we describe in detail the vectorial properties of an ultrafast tightly focused transverse-magnetic (TM(01)) beam, where special attention is given to the longitudinal electric field component. We show that for spot sizes at the waist comparable to the wavelength, the beam diverges more rapidly than expected from paraxial theory. A consequence of this phenomenon is a faster decrease of the amplitude of the longitudinal field away from the waist and a faster evolution of the axial Gouy phase shift in the vicinity of the focus. It has been observed that the phase of the beam has an overall variation of 2pi from z=-infinity to infinity, independent of the beam spot size at the waist and pulse duration.     

Preservation of fluorescence and Raman gain in the buried channel waveguides in neodymium-doped KGd(WO4)2(Nd:KGW) by femtosecond laser writing

We report on the preservation of fluorescence and Raman gain in low-repetition-rate femtosecond laser written buried channel waveguides in neodymium-doped KGd(WO4)2. The propagation loss index, profile reconstruction, and calculation of the modal intensity distribution by the beam propagation method of the waveguide are presented. Microluminescence spectra of the waveguides show that the fluorescence properties of Nd3+ ions are not significantly affected by the waveguide formation processing, which indicates a fairly good potential for further laser actions in a compact device. Micro-Raman spectra are also performed to reveal the preservation of the characteristic 768 and 901?cm-1 Raman mode intensities in the guiding regions.