High powerλ~8.5μm quantum cascade laser grown by MOCVD operating continuous-wave up to 408 K

Robust quantum cascade laser(QCL)enduring high temperature continuous-wave(CW)operation is of critical importance for some applications.We report on the realization of lattice-matched InGaAs/InAlAs/InP QCL materials grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD).High interface quality structures designed for light emission at 8.5μm are achieved by optimizing and precise controlling of growth conditions.A CW output power of 1.04 W at 288 K was obtained from a 4 mm-long and 10μm-wide coated laser.Corresponding maximum wall-plug efficiency and threshold current density were 7.1%and 1.18 kA/cm2,respectively.The device can operate in CW mode up to 408 K with an output power of 160 mW.

High efficiency continuous-wave tunable signal output of an intracavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator based on periodically poled lithium niobate

In this paper we report on a continuous-wave （CW） intracavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator （ICSRO） based on periodically poled LiNbO3 （PPLN） pumped by a diode-end-pumped CW Nd：YVO4 laser. Considering the thermal lens effects and diffraction loss, an optical ballast lens and a near-concentric cavity are adopted for better operation. Through varying the grating period and the temperature, the tunable signal output from 1406 nm to 1513 nm is obtained. At a PPLN grating period of 29 pm and a temperature of 413 K, a maximum signal output power of 820 mW at 1500 nm is achieved when the 808 nm pump power is 10.9 W, leading to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 7.51%.

Continuous-wave optical enhancement cavity with 30-kW average power

Optical enhancement cavity(OEC)is a powerful tool for fundamental research and diagnostics.In this paper,the progress of a continuous-wave OEC to realize of megawatt cavity for a novel light source based on a steady-state microbunching(SSMB)mechanism,is reported.After efficiently suppressing all external noise and optimizing the alignment,mode-matching,and polarization matching,stable and long-term locking is achieved with the help of two feedback loops.The modal instability phenomenon caused by the surface thermoelastic deformation is observed.A pair of D-shape mirrors are utilized to remove the high-order modes.Finally,an intra-cavity average power of 30 kW is reached.

Continuous-wave operation of InAs/InP quantum dot tunable external-cavity laser grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

We demonstrate high-performance broadband tunable external-cavity lasers(ECLs) with the metal-organic chemical vapor deposition(MOCVD) grown In As/In P quantum dots(QDs) structures. Without cavity facet coatings, the 3-d B spectral bandwidth of the Fabry–Perot(FP) laser is approximately 10.8 nm, while the tuning bandwidth of ECLs is 45 nm.Combined with the anti-reflection(AR)/high-reflection(HR) facet coating, a 92 nm bandwidth tuning range has been obtained with the wavelength covering from 1414 nm to 1506 nm. In most of the tuning range, the threshold current density is lower than 1.5 k A/cm2. The maximum output power of 6.5 m W was achieved under a 500 m A injection current.All achievements mentioned above were obtained under continuous-wave(CW) mode at room temperature(RT).

Generation of Continuous-Wave 194 nm Laser for Mercury Ion Optical Frequency Standard

A 194-nm cw laser is an essential part in the mercury ion optical frequency standard. We report the generation of over 2mW continuous-wave radiation at 194nm in a beta barium borate crystal using a simple sum frequency mixing （SFM） system. One source beams at 718nm is resonantly enhanced with a cavity and the other at 266mn makes a single pass. Considering the walk-off effect in SFM, the source beam waists are designed to be elliptical, thus the conversion efficiency can be promoted. The 266-nm beam produced by frequency doubling of 532-nm laser is shaped close to the diffraction limit to achieve better mode matching.

Low Power Consumption Distributed-Feedback Quantum Cascade Lasers Operating in Continuous-Wave Mode above 90℃ at λ～7.2μm

We report on the design and fabrication of λ-7.2μm distributed feedback quantum cascade lasers lot very high temperature cw operation and low electrical power consumption. The cw operation is reported above 90℃. For a 2-mm-long and 10-μm-wide laser coated with high-reflectivity on the rear facet, more than 170mW of output power is obtained at 20℃ with a threshold power consumption of 2.4 W, corresponding to 30mW with a threshold power consumption of 3.9 W at 90℃. Robust single-mode emission with a side-mode suppression ratio above 25 dB is continuously tunable by the heat sink temperature or injection current.

Continuous-Wave and Actively Q-Switched Diode-Pumped Er:LuAG Ring Laser at 1650 nm

We demonstrate a cw and actively Q-switched Er：LuAO laser resonantly dual-end-pumped by 1532nm fibre- coupled laser diodes. A maximum cw output power of 1.9W at 1650.3nm is obtained at a pump power of 25.5 W, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 43.3 %. In the Q-switched regime, the maximum pulse energy of 3.51 mJ is reached at a pulse repetition rate of 100 Hz, a pulse duration of 90.5ns and a pump power of 25.5 W. At the repetition rate of 400 Hz, the output energy is 2.12m J, corresponding to a pulse duration of 125.4 ns.

A kW Continuous-Wave Ytterbium-Doped All-Fiber Laser Oscillator with Domestic Fiber Components and Gain Fiber

We demonstrate a kW continuous-wave ytterbium-doped all-fiber laser oscillator with M1 domestic fiber compo- nents： a 7× I fused fiber bundle combiner, a fiber Bragg grating and a double-clad gain fiber. The oscillator operates at 1079.48nrn with 80.94% slope efficiency and shows no limit of temperature and nonlinear effects. These indicate that the passive fiber components and the gain fiber are all qualified for the high power environ- ment. No evidence of the signal power roll-over shows that this oscillator possesses the capacity to higher output with available pump power.

Multi-wavelength continuous-wave Nd:YVO4 self-Raman laser under in-band pumping

Multi-wavelength continuous-wave self-Raman laser with an a-cut composite YVO4/Nd:YVO4/YVO4 crystal pumped by an 879-nm wavelength-locked laser diode is demonstrated for the first time.Multi-wavelength Raman lasers at 1168.4,1176,1178.7,and 1201.6 nm are achieved by the first Stokes shift of the multi-wavelength fundamental lasers at 1064,1066.7,1073.6,1084,and 1085.6 nm with two Raman shifts of 890 and 816 cm^-1.A maximum Raman output power of 2.56 W is achieved through the use of a 20-mm-long composite crystal,with a corresponding optical conversion efficiency of 9.8%.The polarization directions of different fundamental and Raman lasers are investigated and found to be orthogonalπandσpolarizations.These orthogonally polarized multi-wavelength lasers with small wavelength separation pave the way to the development of a potential laser source for application in spectral analysis,laser radar and THz generation.

High-Power Continuous-Wave and Acousto-Optical Q-Switched Ho:(Sc_(0.5)Y_(0.5))_2SiO_5 Laser Pumped by Laser Diode

We experimentally investigate the continuous-wave(cw)and acousto-optical(AO)Q-switched performance of a diode-pumped Ho:(Sc_(0.5)Y_(0.5))_2SiO_5(Ho:SYSO)laser.A fiber-coupled laser diode at 1.91m is employed as the pump source.The cw Ho:SYSO laser produces 13.0 W output power at 2097.9 nm and 56.0%slope efficiency with respect to the absorbed pump power.In the AO Q-switched regime,at a pulse repetition frequency of 5 kHz,the Ho:SYSO laser yields 2.1 mJ pulse energy and 21 ns pulse width,resulting in a calculated peak power of 100 k W.In addition,at the maximum output level,the beam quality factor of the Q-switched Ho:SYSO laser is measured to be about 1.6.

A theoretical study of the signal enhancement mechanism of coaxial DP-LIBS

In the field of dual-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy(DP-LIBS)research,the pursuit of methods for determining pulse intervals and other parameters quickly and conveniently in order to achieve optimal spectral signal enhancement is paramount.To aid researchers in identification of optimal signal enhancement conditions and more accurate interpretation of the underlying signal enhancement mechanisms,theoretical simulations of the spatiotemporal processes of coaxial DP-LIBS-induced plasma have been established in this work.Using a model based on laser ablation and two-dimensional axisymmetric fluid dynamics,plasma evolutions during aluminum–magnesium alloy laser ablation under single-pulse and coaxial dualpulse excitations have been simulated.The influences of factors,such as delay time,laser fluence,plasma temperature,and particle number density,on the DP-LIBS spectral signals are investigated.Under pulse intervals ranging from 50 to 1500 ns,the time evolutions of spectral line intensity,dual-pulse emission enhancement relative to the single-pulse results,laser irradiance,spatial distribution of plasma temperature and species number density,as well as laser irradiance shielded by plasma have been obtained.The study indicates that the main reason behind the radiation signal enhancement in coaxial DP-LIBS-induced plasma is attributed to the increased species number density and plasma temperature caused by the second laser,and it is inferred that the shielding effect of the plasma mainly occurs in the boundary layer of the stagnation point flow over the target surface.This research provides a theoretical basis for experimental research,parameter optimization,and signal enhancement tracing in DP-LIBS.

Efficient continuous-wave eye-safe region signal output from intra-cavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator

We report an efficient continuous-wave （CW） tunable intra-cavity singly resonant optical parametric oscillator based on the multi-period periodically poled lithium niobate and using a laser diode （LD） end-pumped CW 1064 nm Nd：YVO4 laser as the pump source. A highly efficiency CW operation is realized through a careful cavity design for mode matching and thermal stability. The signal tuning range is 1401 1500 nm obtained by varying the domain period. The maximum output power of 2.2 W at 1500 nm is obtained with a 17.1 W 808 nm LD power and the corresponding conversion efficiency is 12.9%.

Two-Photon Transitions of ^(85)Rb 5D_(5/2) State by Using an Optical Frequency Comb and a Continuous-Wave Laser

A high-resolution two-photon spectrum of 5S1/2 → 5P3/2 → 5D5/2 transitions in a thermal SSRb vapor cell is presented by using an optical frequency comb and a cw laser. The fluorescence of 6P3/2 → 5S1/2 spontaneous emission is detected when the cw laser frequency is scanned from the 5S1/2 ground state to 5P3/2 hyperfine levels and the optical frequency comb repetition rate is fixed. The hyperfine splittings （Ff = 2-5） of the 5D5/2 excited state are well resolved. The dependences of fluorescence intensities on the cw laser intensity and temperature of SSRb vapor eel1 are studied, respectively. The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical analyses.

High-Power Continuous-Wave Nd:GdVO4 Solid-State Laser Dual-End-Pumped at 880 nm

A high-power cw all-solid-state Nd：GdVO4 laser operating at 88Onto is reported. The laser consists of a low doped level Nd：GdV04 crystal dual-end-pumped by two high-power diode lasers and a compact negative confocM unstable-stable hybrid resonator. At an incident pump power of 820 W, a maximum cw output of 240 W at 1064nm is obtained. The optical-to-optical efficiency and Mope efficiency are 40.7% and 53.2%, respectively. The M2 factors in the unstable direction and in the stable direction are 4.38 and 5.44, respectively.

14.1 W continuous-wave dual-end diode-pumped Er:Lu_(2)O_(3)laser at 2.85μm

We present our efforts towards power scaling of Er:Lu_(2)O_(3)lasers at 2.85μm.By applying a dual-end diode-pumped resonator scheme,we achieve an output power of 14.1 W at an absorbed pump power of 59.7 W with a slope efficiency of 26%.In a single-end pumped resonator scheme,an output power of 10.1 W is reached under 41.9 W of absorbed pump power.To the best of our knowledge,this is the first single crystalline mid-infrared rare-earth-based solid-state laser with an output power exceeding 10 W at room temperature.

Research on laser weld penetration monitoring with laser induced plasma signals

In this paper, laser induced plasma signals were analyzed during keyhole welding through three methods. According to the results, the relativity between optical and acoustic signals of plasma is shown when welds are in full-penetration, or partial-penetration and non-penetration.

Stochastic resonance in a single-mode laser driven by frequency modulated signal and coloured noises

By adding frequency modulated signals to the intensity equation of gain noise model of the single-mode laser driven by two coloured noises which are correlated, this paper uses the linear approximation method to calculate the power spectrum and signal-to-noise ratio （SNR） of the laser intensity. The results show that the SNR appears typical stochastic resonance with the variation of intensity of the pump noise and quantum noise. As the amplitude of a modulated signal has effects on the SNR, it shows suppression, monotone increasing, stochastic resonance, and multiple stochastic resonance with the variation of the frequency of a carrier signal and modulated signal.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PLASMA OPTIC SIGNAL AND PENETRATION DEPTH FOR PARTIAL-PENETRATION LASER WELDING

Through sampling and analyzing of plasma optic signals of 400-600 nm emitted from partial-penetration laser welding processes, how the penetration depth is related to the welding parameter and the plasma optic signal is studied, Under the experimental conditions, the plasma optic signal has good response to variety of the weld penetration, and the signal＇s RMS value increases with the penetration in a quadratic curve mode. The inherent relation between the plasma optic signal and the penetration depth is also analyzed. It is also found that, between the two common parameters of laser power and welding speed, laser power has more influence on penetration while welding speed has more influence on weld width. The research results provide theoretic and practical bases for penetration real-time monitoring or predicting in partial-penetration laser welding,

Stochastic Resonance in Linear Region of a Single-Mode Laser: Effects of Amplitude Modulation of Signal

A single-mode laser noise model driven by quadratic colored pump noise and amplitude modulation signal is proposed. The real and imaginary parts of the pump noise are assumed to be cross-correlation. The effect of cross- correlation of noise and amplitude modulation of signal on laser statistical properties is studied by using the linearized approximation. The analytic expression of signal-to-noise ratio （SNR） is calculated. It is found that the phenomena of stochastic resonance （SR） respectively exist in the curves of the SNR versus the noise cross-correlation coefficient λ and the SNR versus the pump parameter a, as well as the SNR versus the signal frequency ω in our model. It is shown that there are three different typies of SR in the model： the conventional form of SR, the SR in the broad sense, and the bona fide SR.

Photoelectric detection technology of laser seeker signals

The measurement of the rolling angle of the projectile is one of the key technologies for the terminal correction projectile.To improve the resolution accuracy of the rolling angle in the laser seeker weapon system, the imaging model of the detector, calculation model of the position and the signal-to-noise ratio(SNR) model of the circuit are built to derive both the correlation between the resolution error of the rolling angle and the spot position, and the relation between the position resolution error and the SNR. Then the influence of each parameter on the SNR is analyzed at large,and the parameters of the circuit are determined. Meanwhile, the SNR and noise voltage of the circuit are calculated according to the SNR model and the decay model of the laser energy. Finally,the actual photoelectric detection circuit is built, whose SNR is measured to be up to 53 d B. It can fully meet the requirement of0.5° for the resolution error of the rolling angle, thereby realizing the analysis of critical technology for photoelectric detection of laser seeker signals.