Multi-operation laser oscillator: an example of multi-operation laser

Abstract

A multi-operation laser oscillator is developed and built with multiple operation modes (OMs): injection-seeding mode, cavity-dumping mode and Q-switching mode. With the same electrical energy pumping, the multi-operation laser oscillator provides different output energies and pulse durations for different OMs. In the Q-switching mode, the output coupling is optimized for different electrical energy pumping. The laser oscillator operation can be switched between different modes conveniently. The multi-operation laser sources could be operated in multiple OMs for various research and application requirements.

Keywords

multi-operation laser / injection-seeding / cavity dumping / Q-switching

References

[1] Maiman T H. Stimulated optical radiation in ruby. Nature, 1960, 187(4736): 493–494

[2] Collins R J, Nelson D F, Schawlow A L, Bond W, Garrett C G B, Kaiser W. Coherence, narrowing, directionality, and relaxation oscillations in the light emission from ruby. Physical Review Letters, 1960, 5(7): 303–305

[3] Hellwarth R W. Advances in Quantum Electronics. New York: Columbia University Press, 1961

[4] Koechner W.Solid-State Laser Engineering. New York: Springer, 2006

[5] McClung F J, Hellwarth R W. Giant optical pulsations from ruby. Journal of Applied Physics, 1962, 33(3): 828–829

[6] Zinth W, Laubereau A, Kaiser W. The long journey to the laser and its rapid development after 1960. The European Physical Journal H, 2011, 36(2): 153–181

[7] Grishin M. Cavity dumping versus stationary output coupling in repetitively Q-switched solid-state lasers. Journal of the Optical Society of America B, 2011, 28(3): 433–444

[8] Sharma A K, Raghuramaiah M, Mishra K K, Naik P A, Kumbhare S R, Gupta P D. Characteristics of a stable, injection Q-switched Nd:phosphate glass regenerative amplifier for a chirped pulse amplification based table top terawatt laser system. Optics Communications, 2005, 252 (4–6) 369–380

[9] Helal O, Liu Z, Tan Y, Ding Y, Cai H. Different efficiency mechanisms inside normal operation, Q-switched and amplified Nd:YAG pulsed laser. International Journal of Applied Physics and Mathematics, 2013, 3(1): 46–51

[10] Hecht J. A short history of laser development. Applied Optics, 2010, 49(25): F99–F122

[11] Degnan J J. Theory of the optimally coupled Q-switched laser. IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, 1989, 25(2): 214–220

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2011CB808101), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61078037, 11127901, 11134010, and 11204328), Shanghai Natural Science Foundation (No. 15ZR1444900), the International S&T Cooperation Program of China (No. 2011DFA11300).

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2016 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg