Continuous wave Cs diode pumped alkali laser pumped by single emitter narrowband laser diode.

This paper presents results of cooperative efforts on development of a continuous wave Cs diode pumped alkali laser with moderate output power, which can be considered as a prototype of the commercial device. The developed system operates at 895 nm with output power about 4 W and slope efficiency 28%. Measured turn on time of this system from the standby mode is about a minute.

Fundamental mode operation of a ribbon fiber laser by way of volume Bragg gratings.

Selection of the fundamental mode of an active large mode area "ribbon" fiber laser with core dimensions of 107.8 µm by 8.3 µm was produced by a transmitting Bragg grating (TBG) in a free-space resonator. The multimode performance of the original laser was characterized to have an M2 of 11.3 with an absorbed power slope efficiency of 76%. With the TBG aligned to provide maximum diffraction efficiency for the fundamental mode, the M2 improved to 1.45 at an absorbed power slope efficiency of 54% and enhanced the brightness by 5.1 times.

Phosphine-catalyzed ß'-umpolung addition of nucleophiles to activated α-alkyl allenes.

Highly functionalized alkenes can be prepared through phosphine-catalyzed ß'-umpolung additions of nucleophiles (carbon-, oxygen-, nitrogen-, and sulfur-centered) to activated α-disubstituted allenes, providing many potentially useful synthetic intermediates in good to excellent yields, often with high levels of stereoselectivity for the product olefin geometry. Various substitution patterns around the allene are compatible with the process, showcasing the synthetic utility of allenes under the conditions of nucleophilic phosphine catalysis.

Continuous wave, 30 W laser-diode bar with 10 GHz linewidth for Rb laser pumping.

A laser-diode bar incorporated into an external cavity with a volume Bragg mirror produced 30 W of cw output power within a 20 pm (10 GHz) spectral linewidth (FWHM) centered at 780 nm. The device output power exceeded 90% of that for the free-running laser-diode bar. The emission wavelength was tuned over a 400 pm range without broadening laser spectrum width. Absorption of 90% of the laser radiation by a 25 mm vapor cell containing Rb that has been pressure broadened with 300 torr of ethane was demonstrated.

Efficient pumping of Rb vapor by high-power volume Bragg diode laser.

A 2W cw laser diode (LD) with an external cavity produced by a reflecting volume Bragg grating (VBG) demonstrated a spectral width of 7GHz (full width at half-maximum) at 780nm. The device output power exceeded 90% of the output power of the free-running LD. The emission wavelength was tuned over a 300pm range by thermal control of the VBG. Rb vapor was shown to absorb more than 95% of the laser radiation.