Effects of simmer current on flashlamp impedance and their combined influence on the output of a quasi-CW Nd:YAG laser

Author

Arya, R. ; Thomas, Joy M. ; Bhujle, A.G. ; Bhawalkar, D.D.

Author_Institution

Centre for Adv. Technol., Indore, India

Volume

36

Issue

7

fYear

2000

fDate

7/1/2000 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

872

Lastpage

878

Abstract

This paper reports the results of investigations carried out on the influence of simmer current on flashlamp impedance and performance of a flashlamp-pumped Nd:YAG laser operating in the quasi-CW mode. A pulse power source with an adjustable output pulsewidth (1-20 ms) and an adjustable simmer current source (30 mA to 6 A) developed specifically for the study were used. It is found that the simmering of the lamp reduces the impedance factor of the lamp, increases the correct arc diameter, and reduces the peak current density of the flashlamp discharge. It improves the efficiency of the flashlamp pump source and, hence, the efficiency of the Nd:YAG laser also. An appropriate choice of the simmer current, using the results obtained, can lead to higher efficiency of the laser and increased life of the lamp.

Keywords

flash lamps; neodymium; optical pumping; solid lasers; 1 to 20 ms; 30 mA to 6 A; Nd:YAG laser; YAG:Nd; YAl5O12:Nd; flashlamp impedance; flashlamp pumping; quasi-CW mode; simmer current; Fault location; Impedance; Lamps; Laser beam cutting; Laser modes; Optical pulses; Pump lasers; Solid lasers; Space vector pulse width modulation; Voltage;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9197

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/3.848361

Filename

848361