Title :
Efficient and compact Yb:YAG ring laser
Author :
Yi, Jui-Yun ; Chen, Li-Hsuan ; Huang, Sheng-Lung
Author_Institution :
Inst. of Electro-Opt. Eng., Nat. Sun Yat-Sen Univ., Kaohsiung
Abstract :
An efficient and compact Yb:YAG ring laser was demonstrated with a slope efficiency of 39.0% with respect to the absorbed power. The design issues for using Yb:YAG as the gain medium in the reentrant multipass ring laser are discussed. The high absorption coefficient and low quantum defect of Yb:YAG make it an ideal gain medium for the multipass ring cavity to fulfil reentrant condition and reduce reabsorption loss. The absorption characteristics of a 20-at.% doped Yb:YAG crystal and the optimum ratio of absorption depth to Yb:YAG thickness were measured. The degrees of linear polarization were 99.0% and 94.1% in planar N=2 and nonplanar (N,M)=(2,1) ring lasers, respectively. The multipass ring cavities can be applied in a compact mode-locked laser with long round-trip length
Keywords :
absorption coefficients; laser cavity resonators; laser mode locking; optical design techniques; ring lasers; solid lasers; ytterbium; Y3Al5O12:Yb; Yb:YAG ring laser; absorption coefficient; absorption depth; mode-locked laser; quantum defect; reabsorption loss; reentrant multipass ring laser; slope efficiency; Absorption; Diode lasers; Laser excitation; Laser mode locking; Laser noise; Optical resonators; Pump lasers; Ring lasers; Solid lasers; Ultrafast optics; Laser resonator; multipass cell; ring laser; solid-state laser;
Journal_Title :
Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/JQE.2006.877222
