ABSTRACT
We develop a theoretical framework to analyze the mechanism of refractive index changes (RIC) in double-clad Yb³âº doped optical fibers under resonant core or clad pumping, and with signal amplification. The model describes and compares thermal and electronic contributions to the phase shifts induced on the amplified signal at 1064 nm and the probe signal at 1550 nm, i.e. located inside and outside of the fiber amplification band, respectively. The ratio between the thermal and electronic phase shifts is evaluated as a function of the pump pulse duration, the gain saturation, the amplified beam power and for a variety of fiber parameters.
ABSTRACT
Refractive-index changes accompanying changes in population of electronic levels of Yb3+ ions in a Yb:YAG laser disk under intense diode and laser pumping have been studied by use of both a highly sensitive polarization interferometer and transient grating testing at 633 nm. The electronic change of the index that is due to excitation of the Yb3+ ions (which have different polarizability of ground state 2F7/2 and excited level 2F5/2) is strongly predominant over the thermal component. The polarizability differences are deltap (1.9 +/- 0.8) x 10(-26) and (1.95 +/- 0.25) x 10(-26) cm3 as measured at 633 nm in interferometric and transient grating experiments, respectively.
ABSTRACT
Two optical waves (at 1064 nm) were used to resonantly induce a population grating in a flash-lamp-pumped Nd:YAG rod, and a nonresonant wave (at 1054 or 694 nm) was used to read (with a diffraction efficiency of as much as 1% or 0.3%, respectively) the refractive-index grating caused by the difference in the polarizability of the excited and the unexcited Nd ions. Comparisons of experimental results and numerical calculations gave the dependence of the ratio of the real and the imaginary parts of the resonant susceptibility of Nd:YAG at 1064 nm on the pump power.
