ABSTRACT
We present a numerical model for the transient response of a longitudinally pumped miniature solid-state laser. The model is suitable for both regenerative amplifiers and oscillators, provided the latter run in a single mode. The results of our calculations compare well with measurements of the peak output powers and pulse widths for a Nd:YAG rod pumped by a ten-stripe diode laser array. Our model predicts saturation at peak powers of approximately twice the 850 mW reported here due to filling of the lower laser level. To overcome this power limitation due to saturation, we also explore the use of miniature Nd:glass laser amplifiers to boost the single-frequency Nd:YAG pulses to powers exceeding 200 W.
ABSTRACT
We report the application of a stress-induced change in the cavity of a monolithic Nd:YAG laser as a means for precisely tuning the laser's emission frequency. By using a piezoelectric transducer to vary the applied stress, we can scan the laser emission frequency rapidly and monotonically over as much as 76.5 GHz. As a consequence of the stress-induced birefringence, the device can also be operated simultaneously in two orthogonally polarized modes that exhibit different tuning rates with applied stress.
ABSTRACT
We report the use of gain switching to obtain 60 mW of single-longitudinal-mode peak output power from a laser-diode-excited monolithic Nd:YAG laser. The device is demonstrated to operate at repetition rates in excess of 1 kHz and exhibits a spectral linewidth of less than 8 MHz. This oscillator provides an ideal source for injection seeding of laboratory Nd:YAG laser systems.
ABSTRACT
Fully resolved pure-spin Raman transitions near 2 cm(-1) have been observed in (3)Sigma(g) ground-state molecular oxygen using stimulated Raman techniques. Anomalous differences between polarized and depolarized spectra are fully explained in terms of optical Stark effects.
ABSTRACT
Sub-Doppler linewidth spectra of the Q(01) (2) transition in deuterium (D(2)) have been obtained by using a stimulated Raman technique analogous to sub-Doppler IR saturation spectroscopy. Two experimental configurations are described that employ alternatively either three or four laser beams at two frequencies. The saturation dip is detected by using an inverse Raman technique to probe the saturated line shape. It is shown that, by delaying the pulsed measurement from the pulsed saturation, the technique can be used to study velocity relaxation processes in homonuclear diatomics or other Raman-active molecules.
ABSTRACT
We report reliable operation of a repetitively pulsed (3 pps) passively Q-switched Nd:YAG oscillator on a single longitudinal mode with a high degree of temporal and spectral stability. The total output is 3.5 mJ in a 7-ns bandwidth limited pulse with diffraction limited divergence of 0.33 mrad.
ABSTRACT
It is demonstrated that stimulated Raman spectroscopy (SRS) can be performed using cw dye lasers at power levels over six orders of magnitude smaller than those generally associated with pulsed stimulated Raman studies. The preliminary results suggest that cw SRS is a potentially powerful alternative to conventional spontaneous Raman scattering, with resolution limited solely by laser linewidth and sensitivity independent of resolution requirements.
