Radially polarized and pulsed output from passively Q-switched Nd:YAG ceramic microchip laser

For the first time, to the best of our knowledge, a radially polarized laser pulse was produced from a passively Q-switched Nd:YAG ceramic microchip laser with a piece of Cr4+:YAG crystal as the saturable absorber and multilayer concentric subwavelength grating as the polarization-selective output coupler. The averaged laser power reached 450 mW with a slope efficiency of 30.2%. The laser pulse had a maximum peak power of 759 W, a minimum pulse duration of 86 ns, and a 6.7 kHz repetition rate at 3.7 W absorbed pump power. The polarization degree of the radially polarized pulse was measured to be as high as 97.4%. Such a radially polarized laser pulse with a high peak power and a short width is important to numerous applications such as metal cutting. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America

Er3+ and Yb3+ codoped phosphate laser glass for high power flashlamp pumping

A novel Vb(3+)-Er-(3+) codoped phosphate glass for high power flashlamp pumping and high repetition rate laser at 1.54 mu m, designated EAT5-2, is developed. The weight-loss rate of is 1.3 x 10(-5) gcm(-2) h(-1) in boiling water, which is comparable to Kigre's QX-Er glass. Some spectroscopic parameters are analysed by Judd-Ofelt theory and McCumber theory The emission cross section is calculated to be 0.73 x 10(-20) cm(2). The thermo-mechanical properties of EAT5-2 are modified after an ion-exchange chemical strengthening process in a KNO3/NaNO3 molten salt bath. The thresholds for optical damage from the flashlamp pumping are tested on glass rods. A repetition rate of 15 Hz is achieved for chemically strengthened glass. The laser experimental results at. 1.54 mu m from flashlamp pumping are also reported.

Efficient tunable diode-pumped Yb : LYSO laser

We demonstrated efficient laser action of a new ytterbium-doped oxyorthosilicate crystal Yb:LuYSiO5 ( Yb: LYSO) under high-power diode-pumping. The spectroscopic features and laser performance of the alloyed oxyorthosilicate crystal are compared with those of ytterbium-doped lutetium and yttrium oxyorthosilicates. In the continuous-wave laser operation of Yb: LYSO, a maximal slope efficiency of 96% and output power of 7.8 W were respectively achieved with different pump sources. The Yb: LYSO laser exhibits not only little sensitivity to the pump wavelength drift but also a broad tunability. By using a dispersive prism as the intracavity tuning element, we demonstrated that the continuous-wave Yb: LYSO laser exhibit a continuous tunability in the spectral range of 1014-1091 nm. (c) 2006 Optical Society of America.

Generation of 210 fs laser pulses at 1093 nm by a self-starting mode-locked Yb:GYSO laser

We report the first demonstration, to our knowledge, of the femtosecond laser operation by using a new alloyed Yb:GYSO crystal as the gain medium. With a 5 at. % Yb3+-doped sample and chirped mirrors for dispersion compensation, we obtained pulses as short as 210 fs at the center wavelength of 1093 nm. The average mode-locking power is 300 mW, and the pulse repetition frequency is 80 MHz. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America

Laser-induced damage morphology of high-reflective optical coatings

Two different kinds of 1064 nm high-reflective (HR) coatings, with and without SiO2 protective layer, were prepared by electron beam evaporation. Three-dimensional damage morphology, caused by a Nd:YAG pulsed laser, was investigated for these HR coatings. Development of laser-induced damage on HR coatings was revealed by both temperature field calculation and discrete meso-element simulation. Theoretical results met experimental very well. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of annealing on laser-induced damage threshold of TiO2/SiO2 high reflectors

The mechanism of improving 1064 nm, 12 ns laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of TiO2/SiO2 high reflectors (HR) prepared by electronic beam evaporation from 5.1 to 13.1 J/cm(2) by thermal annealing is discussed. Through optical properties, structure and chemical composition analysis, it is found that the reduced atomic non-stoichiometric defects are the main reason of absorption decrease and LIDT rise after annealing. A remarkable increase of LIDT is found at 300 degrees C annealing. The refractive index and film inhomogeneity rise, physical thickness decrease, and film stress changes from compress stress to tensile stress due to the structure change during annealing. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

单脉冲飞秒脉冲激光对单层和高反光学薄膜的损伤

用电子柬蒸发的方法在BK7玻璃上制备了ZrO2单层膜和ZrO2／SiO2高反膜，利用掺Ti：sapphire飞秒激光系统输出的中心波长为800nm，脉宽为50fs的激光脉冲对这两种样品进行了激光损伤阈值测试．实验结果表明，ZrO2单层膜的阂值比ZrO2／SiO2高反膜的高；这与传统的纳秒脉冲激光的损伤情况相反．利用光离化和碰撞离化激发电子到导带，形成电子等离子体基本模型并对此现象进行了解释．同时，用显微镜对样品的损伤形貌进行了观测，对损伤的特点进行了表征．

On the percussion drilling of SI using a 20W MOPA based YB fiber laser

A study on the nanosecond fiber laser interaction with silicon was performed experimentally for the generation of percussion drilled holes. Single pulse ablation experiments were carried out on mono crystalline 650μm thick Si wafers. Changes of the mass removal mechanism were investigated by varying laser fluence up to 68 J/cm2 and pulse duration from 50 ns to 200 ns. Hole width and depth were measured and surface morphology were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical interferometric profilometry (Veeco NT3300). High speed photography was also used to examine laser generated plasma expansion rates. The material removal rate was found to be influenced by the pulse energy, full pulse duration and pulse peak power. Single pulse ablation depth of 4.42 μm was achieved using a 200 ns pulse of 13.3 J/cm 2, giving a maximum machining efficiency of 31.86 μm per mJ. Holes drilled with an increased fluence but fixed pulse length were deeper, exhibited low recast, but were less efficient than those produced at a lower fluence. The increased peak power in this case led to high levels of plasma and vapour production. The expansion of which, results in a strong driving recoil force, an increase in the rate and volume of melt ejection, and cleaner hole formation. The experimental findings show that for efficient drilling at a given energy, a longer, lower peak power pulse is more desirable than a high peak power short pulse.

1.3 mu m gain coupled DFB laser with InGaAlAs MQW grown on absorptive InGaAsP corrugation

An InGaA1As multiquantum well (MQW) has been successfully overgrown on the absorptive InGaAsP corrugation for fabricating the 1.3 mu m gain coupled distributed feedback (DFB) lasers. The absorptive InGaAsP corrugation was efficaciously preserved during the overgrowth of the InGaA1As MQW active region. The absorptive InGaAsP corrugation has a relatively high intensity around the PL peak wavelength in comparison with that of the InGaA1As MQW. The fabricated DFB laser exhibited a side mode suppression ratio of 40 dB together with a high single-mode yield of 90%.

Effects of shock waves on spatial distribution of proton beams in ultrashort laser-foil interactions

The characteristics of proton beam generated in the interaction of an ultrashort laser pulse with a large prepulse with solid foils are experimentally investigated. It is found that the proton beam emitted from the rear surface is not well collimated, and a "ring-like" structure with some "burst-like" angular modulation is presented in the spatial distribution. The divergence of the proton beam reduces significantly when the laser intensity is decreased. The "burst-like" modulation gradually fades out for the thicker target. It is believed that the large divergence angle and the modulated ring structure are caused by the shock wave induced by the large laser prepulse. A one-dimensional hydrodynamic code, MED103, is used to simulate the behavior of the shock wave produced by the prepulse. The simulation indicates that the rear surface of the foil target is significantly modified by the shock wave, consequently resulting in the experimental observations. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.

808 nm high-power laser grown by MBE through the control of Be diffusion and use of superlattice

808 nm high-power laser diodes are gown by MBE. In the laser structure, the combination of Si-doped GRIN (graded-index) region adjacent to n-AlGaAs cladding layer with reduced Be doping concentration near the active region has been used to diminish Be diffusion and oxygen incorporation. As compared with the laser structure which has undoped GRIN region and uniform doping concentration for Si and Be, respectively, in the cladding layers, the slope efficiency has increased by about 8%. Typical threshold current density of 300 A/cm(2) and the minimum threshold current density of 220 A/cm(2) for lasers with 500 mu m cavity length are obtained. A high slope efficiency of 1.3 W/A for coated lasers with 1000 mu m cavity length is also demonstrated, Recorded CW output power at room temperature has reached 2.3 W.

AIN Monolithic Microchannel Cooled Heatsink for High Power Laser Diode Array

A novel AIN monolithic microchannel cooled heatsink for high power laser diode array is introduced.The high power stack laser diode array with an AIN monolithic microchannel heatsink is fabricated and tested.The thermal impedance of a 10 stack laser diode array is 0.121℃/W.The pitch between two adjacent bars is 1.17mm.The power level of 611W is achieved under the 20% duty factor condition at an emission wavelength around 808nm.

Novel indigo light emitting long-lasting phosphors CdSiO3: RE3+ (RE = Y, La, Gd, Lu)

A series of novel indigo light emitting long-lasting phosphors CdSiO3: RE3+ (RE = Y, La, Gd, Lu) was prepared by the conventional high-temperature solid-state method. The XRD, photoluminescence (PL) spectra and afterglow intensity decay were used to characterize the synthesized phosphors. These phosphors emitted indigo light and showed long-lasting phosphorescence. The phosphorescence can be seen with the naked eye in the dark clearly even after the 254-nm UV irradiation have been removed for more than 30 min.

Fundamental Amplitude Noise Limitations to Supercontinuum Spectra Generated in a Microstructured Fiber

Broadband supercontinuum spectra are generated in a microstructured fiber using femtosecond laser pulses. Noise properties of these spectra are studied through experiments and numerical simulations based on a generalized stochastic nonlinear Schrödinger equation. In particular, the relative intensity noise as a function of wavelength across the supercontinuum is measured over a wide range of input pulse parameters, and experimental results and simulations are shown to be in good quantitative agreement. For certain input pulse parameters, amplitude fluctuations as large as 50% are observed. The simulations clarify that the intensity noise on the supercontinuum arises from the amplification of two noise inputs during propagation - quantum-limited shot noise on the input pulse, and spontaneous Raman scattering in the fiber. The amplification factor is a sensitive function of the input pulse parameters. Short input pulses are critical for the generation of very broad supercontinua with low noise.

Multiphoton absorption by helium, magnesium and H-2 at high frequencies and intensities

We review principally some recent work carried out in Belfast and Heraklion which handles the few-electron dynamics of atomic and molecular systems exposed to high frequency. high intensity laser fields. The design and application of the quantitatively accurate computational methods is discussed. The Belfast work is illustrated by results for double ionization of helium and the hydrogen molecule where in each case the two electrons have been handled in full-dimensionality. The first results for multiphoton, double ionization of a complex atom, namely magnesium demonstrate an important application of the Heraklion approach.