Periodic multiplate resonant reflector for a YAG: Nd3+laser at 1.318 µ

A periodic resonant reflector with thin air intervals is designed for a YAG:Nd³⁺laser in order to achieve emission of a line at 1.318 μ by suppressing the well-known line at 1.064 μ for reasons of laser safety.     

Passive transverse mode locking in a confocal Nd3+glass laser

Transverse passive mode locking by the dye technique has been obtained for a Nd³⁺glass laser with a confocal cavity. The laser energy is concentrated in a wave packet which propagates back and forth within the cavity along closed optical paths.     

Multiphoton ionization of rare gases at 1.06µ and 0.53µ

The interaction between an intense focused beam of optical photons and matter in gaseous form at low pressure (10^-3torr) brings into play some strongly nonlinear processes. These multiphoton processes occur through the simultaneous absoprtion of several quanta by an atom that may be thus either excited or ionized. The orders of nonlinearity of the interaction of a multimodeQ-switched laser beam with rare gas atoms were measured with laser intensities up to 10¹³W ċcm^-2at 1.06μ and up to 10¹²W ċcm^-2at 0.53μ. The energy of the number of quanta corresponding to the order of nonlinearity is always close to the energy of an atomic level. The results seem to emphasize the particularly important role performed by bound states during the ionization process. Thus a two-stage ionization process seems far more probable than a single direct transition between the ground state and the continuum spectrum. Experimental values of multiphoton ionization probabilities are also given after having precisely determined the spatiotemporal intensity distribution function.     

Stimulated emission at 2.04 µm in Ho3+-doped ErVO4and YVO4

We have observed both CW and pulsed laser operation in Ho³⁺-doped ErVO4and YVO4at 2.0416 μm and 2.0412 μm, respectively. Both laser emissions are linearly polarized. For this preliminary experiment the crystals were cooled to liquid nitrogen temperature and pumped in two configurations using an argon-ion laser and a xenon flashlamp.     

Broadband emission and laser action of Cr3+doped zinc tungstate at 1 µm wavelength

We report on the spectroscopic properties of Cr : ZnWO4, which channels all the fluorescence into the broadband⁴T2-⁴A2transition at about 1 μm wavelength. Two different Cr³⁺centers with lifetimes of 0.5 and 5.4 μs at 300 K are analyzed. Both centers emit broad-band fluorescence with zero-phonon lines located at 834 and 877 nm wavelength. The effect of intrinsic and extrinsic charge compensation on the Cr³⁺centers is explained by a local and nonlocal compensation mechanism. With intrinsically compensated crystals we obtained CW laser action at 77 K and pulsed laser action at 300 K.     

1.05-1.44 µm tunability and performance of the CW Nd3+:YAG laser

The Nd³⁺:YAG laser pumped by a CW 5-kW krypton arc-lamp was tuned to 19 different transitions from 1.052 to 1.444 μm by means of intracavity thin solid etalons and appropriately coated resonator mirrors. Each transition was tunable over 6-12 wavenumbers and most exhibited 10-30-W CW output, attaining 37 W at 1.319 μm and 52 W at 1.112 μm. The 1.061-μm line is 90 percent as strong as at 1.064 μm, and wavelength shift with temperature variation was measured for both. TEM00output of 20 W was available by using apertures, and compensation of thermal lensing resulted in 60 W combined TEM00+ TEM01output.     

Ho3+laser action in YAlO3at 2.119 µ

Pulsed laser action at 2.119 μ has been observed from Ho³⁺in a crystal of YAlO3sensitized with Er³⁺and Tm³⁺. A linearly polarized output of 1.2 J was obtained at 77°K. Measurements of the anisotropy of the stimulated-emission cross sections are reported.     

Oscillation of the 1.833-µ line in Nd3+:YAG

This correspondence reports oscillation of the⁴F_{32} rightarrow⁴I_{15/2}, 1.833-mutransition in Nd³⁺:YAG. PeakQ-switched output powers of 10 kW at 50 pps have been obtained.     

Cr3+→Nd3+ energy transfer and Nd3+ laser action studies of La3Ga5SiO14:Cr3+,Nd3+ co-doped crystal

Energy transfer between Cr³⁺ and Nd³⁺ ions has been investigated in the 4.2-300-K temperature range by using steady-state and site-selective time-resolved laser spectroscopy. Radiative and nonradiative energy transfer has been studied from the time-resolved emission spectra and the donor fluorescence decays. The transfer efficiency was calculated as a function of temperature by using the Cr³⁺ lifetimes of the single doped and co-doped samples. Laser experiments were carried out in a diffusive cavity by pumping a co-doped rod 54 mm long and 5 mm in diameter with xenon flashlamps. The laser spectral emission shows a complex structure which varies as a function of pump energy. The temporal evolution of the laser spectrum is discussed in terms of a simple four-level spectral rate-equation laser model which takes into account the existence of two main broad Nd³⁺ site distributions with a large spectral overlap     

Operation of a lithium niobate electrooptic Q switch at 1.06 µ

The performance of an electroopticQswitch using lithium niobate as the electrooptic material is described and compared with that of a conventional device using potassium di-deuterium phosphate.     

Optical thermometry through infrared excited upconversionfluorescence emission in Er3+- and Er3+-Yb3+-doped chalcogenide glasses

Optical thermometry based upon infrared excited upconversion fluorescence emission in Er³⁺- and Er³⁺-Yb³⁺ - doped Ga₂S₃-La₂O₃ chalcogenide glasses excited at 1.54 and 1.06 μm, respectively, is presented. Temperature sensing in the region of 20°C-220°C with 0.3°C accuracy using excitation powers readily obtainable from commercially available semiconductor lasers was achieved. The temperature sensing approach is independent of fluctuations in excitation intensity and transmission and requires a simple and low-cost signal detection and processing system. The results also indicate that the glassy host material plays a major role in the performance of the sensing system     

Er3+-Yb3+ and Er3+ doped fiberlasers

Single-mode fiber lasers operating at ~1.57 μm are described. Output powers of >2 mW are reported for laser diode pumped operation. Direct comparison is made between fiber lasers using sensitized erbium (Er³⁺ and Yb³⁺) and erbium on its own. The performance of Er³⁺-Yb³⁺ fiber lasers is analyzed in more detail as a function of fiber length. Both CW and Q-switched operations are studied and the results obtained demonstrate that practical sources at 1.5 μm are available from diode pumped Er³⁺ -Yb³⁺ systems     

Photoacoustic observation of third-order absorption in thallium halides at 1.06 µm

1.06 μm laser photoacoustic spectroscopy has been applied to studies of third-order multiphoton absorption in selected thallium halides. This readily detected bandgap crossing absorption is observed at laser fluences significantly below then-on-one damage threshold. Its importance for modeling of high intensity effects in wide bandgap ionic crystals is discussed.     

Low-loss Ti:LiNbO3waveguide bends at λ = 1.3 µm

Low-loss waveguide bends are necessary for many proposed integrated optical circuits. The bend loss associated with anS-shaped transition connecting offset 6 μm wide titanium-indiffused lithium niobate strip waveguides has been measured as a function of transition length and initial Ti metal thickness for 1.3 μm wavelength. Losses as low as 0.2 ± 0.2 dB have been achieved for a transition between offset parallel waveguides with a 0.1 mm lateral and 3.25 mm longitudinal separation. The bend loss is shown to be strongly dependent on the mode confinement and less sensitive to the shape of the transition curve.     

Efficient 1.06-µm emission from InxGa1-xAs electroluminescent diodes

Vapor-grown p-n junctions of InxGa1-xAs have been prepared that emit near-bandgap infrared radiation at 1.06 µm with an external quantum efficiency in excess of 1 percent at room temperature. These diodes have an electroluminescence response time of 20 ns. In addition, InxGa1-xAs injection lasers have been fabricated with threshold current densities between 2000 and 3000 A/cm²at 80 K. The importance of internal absorption losses in determining the spectral distribution and the electroluminescence efficiency at room temperature is described.     

Performance of high-concentrationEr3+-Yb3+-codoped phosphate fiber amplifiers

Performance of high-concentration Er³⁺-Yb³⁺-codoped phosphate fiber amplifiers in a copumping configuration is presented. Gain, noise figure, and output signal saturation power of fiber amplifiers with different lengths are reported. From a 3.6-cm-long fiber, 18-dB internal gain, i.e., 5 dB/cm, for small signal input at 1535 nm, was achieved. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest gain per unit length for erbium-doped fiber amplifiers ever reported     

Characteristics of room-temperature 2.3-µm laser emission from tm3+in YAG and YAlO3

The relaxation of low-lying excited states of Tm³⁺ions doped in YAG, YAlO3, and Y2O3due to photon and phonon emission is studied theoretically. Stimulated emission cross sections (integrated over frequency), fluorescence lifetimes, and radiative quantum efficiencies are calculated and their implications for laser operation on the 2.3-μm³F4→³H5line of Tm³⁺are discussed. The calculations, based on a few phenomenological parameters which have been determined by others, are easily generalizable to other host materials and other rare-earth (RE) ions. Room-temperature pulsed laser emission from Tm³⁺ions near 2.3 μm was observed on one line in Tm:Cr:YAG, and on four lines in Tm:Cr:YAlO3. Lower oscillation thresholds were generally obtained in the YAlO3 rods, consistent with the theory presented. A threshold of 31 J was obtained with a Tm:Cr:YAlO3rod at 2.274 μm. In the free-running pulsed mode, peak power levels up to several hundred watts and total output energies up to 12 mJ/pulse were observed. Other general, observed operating characteristics are discussed.     

New laser lines with wavelengths from λ = 61.7 µm down to λ = 27.7 µm in optically pumped CH3OH and CD3OH

25 new CW far infrared laser lines have been observed with wavelengths fromlambda = 61.7 mum down tolambda = 27.7 mum. We have significantly increased the number of known short wavelength laser lines and extended the laser line spectrum to the 30 μm region by using a BaF2outcoupling system.