Optical-Kerr-enhanced mode locking of lamp-pumped Nd:YAG laser
- Stanford Univ., CA (United States). Edward L. Ginzton Lab.
The authors discuss the potential use of three new mode-locking techniques, namely additive-pulse mode locking, the combination of self-phase modulation and group velocity dispersion, and Kerr lens mode locking, as simple retrofits to enhance the performance of conventional multi-watt lamp-pumped Nd:YAG lasers. Of the three, they discard the APM technique because of structural and power-handling difficulties. They then discuss theoretically and confirm experimentally that the combination of SPM plus gain dispersion can lead to pulsewidth reduction by a factor of 2 to 2.5 but not more, in agreement with the analysis of Hause and Silberberg. Finally, while KLM can be very effective as a fast saturable absorber in many types of lasers, they find that its application to lamp-pumped YAG lasers is frustrated by instabilities in thermal focusing and transverse mode position characteristic of this type of laser.
- OSTI ID:
- 32010
- Journal Information:
- IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, Journal Name: IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 31; ISSN 0018-9197; ISSN IEJQA7
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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