Solid-state lasers for coherent communication and remote sensing. Final Technical Report, 1 May 1989 - 31 Dec. 1991

Technical Report · Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:5206226

Byer, R L

Semiconductor-diode laser-pumped solid-state lasers have properties that are superior to other lasers for the applications of coherent communication and remote sensing. These properties include efficiency, reliability, stability, and capability to be scaled to higher powers. We have demonstrated that an optical phase-locked loop can be used to lock the frequency of two diode-pumped 1.06 micron Nd:YAG lasers to levels required for coherent communication. Monolithic nonplanar ring oscillators constructed from solid pieces of the laser material provide better than 10 kHz frequency stability over 0.1 sec intervals. We have used active feedback stabilization of the cavity length of these lasers to demonstrate 0.3 Hz frequency stabilization relative to a reference cavity. We have performed experiments and analysis to show that optical parametric oscillators (OPO's) reproduce the frequency stability of the pump laser in outputs that can be tuned to arbitrary wavelengths. Another measurement performed in this program has demonstrated the sub-shot-noise character of correlations of the fluctuations in the twin output of OPO's. Measurements of nonlinear optical coefficients by phase-matched second harmonic generation are helping to resolve inconsistency in these important parameters.

• Research Organization: Stanford Univ., CA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 5206226
• Report Number(s): N-92-20659; NASA-CR-190081; NAS-1.26:190081; REPT-4933; CNN: NAGW-1760
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
SEMICONDUCTOR LASERS
PERFORMANCE
EFFICIENCY
HARMONIC GENERATION
LASER MATERIALS
NONLINEAR OPTICS
OSCILLATORS
PARAMETRIC AMPLIFIERS
RELIABILITY
REMOTE SENSING
SEMICONDUCTOR DIODES
SOLID STATE LASERS
STABILITY
AMPLIFIERS
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
FREQUENCY MIXING
LASERS
MATERIALS
OPTICS
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
426002* - Engineering- Lasers & Masers- (1990-)