Generation of ultrashort laser pulses from neodymium glass oscillator and regenerative amplifier
Physical processes affecting generation, amplification, and compression of high repetition rate, ultrashort laser pulses from a Nd:phosphate glass oscillator-regenerative amplifier system are studied. Characteristics of the three-element optical resonators were studied, and an optimal configuration was found. Thermal stress induced fracture, thermal birefringence and thermal lensing of the Nd:phosphate glass under longitudinal pumping were investigated. The spectral properties of continuous wave (CW) lasing showed that the Nd:phosphate glass laser is a weakly inhomogeneously broadened laser. The nonlinear atomic frequency pulling was the limiting factor in generating coherent short laser pulses by active modelocking. The oscillator generated bandwidth limited, CW actively modelocked pulses with less than 10 picosecond duration. A high repetition rate Nd:phosphate glass regenerative amplifier was developed, which increased the pulse energy up to approximately 40 microJ at 370 Hz. The strong intracavity self-phase modulation during regenerative amplification of short picosecond pulse was used to broaden the pulse bandwidth to approximately 35 A. Using a pair of external cavity gratings, the amplified and spectrally broadened and chirped pulses were directly compressed to 0.55 ps with greater than 10 microJ pulse energy after compression. An optical fiber further broadened the pulse bandwidth to more than 500 A. A second pair of gratings shortened the pulses to 30 femtosecond, the shortest pulses ever generated at 1.054 microns.
- Research Organization:
- Maryland Univ., College Park, MD (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6750773
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Ph.D. Thesis
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
NEODYMIUM LASERS
PULSE TECHNIQUES
ATOMIC CLOCKS
BIREFRINGENCE
GLASS
OPTICAL FIBERS
OSCILLATORS
PULSE AMPLIFIERS
REGENERATORS
THERMAL STRESSES
AMPLIFIERS
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
FIBERS
LASERS
REFRACTION
SOLID STATE LASERS
STRESSES
426002* - Engineering- Lasers & Masers- (1990-)