Full Title High Average-Power Self-Adaptive Solid-State Lasers Formed by Population Inversion Gratings Tech Area / Field

PHY-OPL: Physics / Optics and Lasers

MAT-SYN: Materials / Materials Synthesis and Processing

Brief Description of Technology
We are investigating the high-average-power YAG:Nd lasers with cavities formed by population gratings that are induced in the inverted laser crystals by the interference field of self-generated beams. The population inversion grating in the laser crystal causes both the gain grating and the refractive index grating. These gratings, in their turns, provide both positive distributed feedback for generating beam and adaptive correction of thermal phase distortions arising in the laser crystal because of the high energy of the pumping. In other words, we are studying the laser systems with phase conjugation (PC) mirrors that are induced by the generated beams in the inverted laser crystals. The adaptive properties of the PC-mirror based on population grating offer the possibility to achieve a high average power, and overall good quality of the laser beam. At this time several groups throughout the world are studying the possibilities of creating the high-brightness solid-state laser using different kinds of PC-mirrors. The PC-mirror based on stimulated Brillouin backscattering (SBS) has, in particular, been investigated for creating a master oscillator power amplifier system [1]. In contrast to the PC-SBS-mirror and other kinds of nonlinear devices, the population grating in the laser crystal can operate with a long pulse duration and a high repetition rate of pumping. It was recently shown that the self-adaptation of the self-starting gain gratings produced compensation of intracavity phase distortions for nanosecond laser pulses [2]. Using the self-adaptation of the gain gratings, plus the refractive index gratings in the inverted laser crystals, we are studying the laser system that operates with the long pulses and the high repetition rates. In this fashion we propose to create an all solid-state laser (with a pulse duration about 1-2 milliseconds and a repetition rate of 20-30 Hz) with an average power of several hundred watts, and near diffraction-limited divergence.

References:

1. H.-J. Eichler, A. Haase, B. Liu, O. Mehl, "High average power neodymium MOPA systems with high beam quality by fiber phase conjugator," Technical Digest of Conference on Laser and Electro/Optics, CLEO'97, v.17, OSA Technical Digest Series (Washington, DC, 1997), paper CWK2, p.283.

2. M.J. Damzen, R.P.M. Green, K.S. Syed, "Self-adaptive solid-state laser oscillator formed by dynamic gain-grating holograms", Optics Letters, v. 20, N 16, p.1704 (1995).

Legal Aspects
At the time we are preparing papers for the patent in Russia.

Special Facilities in Use and Their Specifications
None.

Scientific Papers
Antipov O.L., Belyaev S.I., Kuzhelev A.S. "Laser crystal with nonreciprocal feedback as a parametric mirror which performs passive optical phase conjugation," JETP Lett., v. 60, No. 3, pp. 165-170 (1994).

Antipov O.L., Belyaev S.I., Kuzhelev A.S. "Self-pumped phase conjugation of the light heterogeneous beam in the inverted YAG:Nd-rod with nonreciprocal feedback," Optics Communications, v. 117, pp. 290-294 (1995).

Antipov O.L., Belyaev S.I., Kuzhelev A.S. "Inverted YAG:Nd crystal with nonreciprocal feedback as phase conjugator of light beams," Technical Digest of Conference on Laser and Electro/Optics, CLEO'95, v.15, OSA Technical Digest Series (Washington, DC, 1995) paper CMA6, p.3.

Antipov O.L., Belyaev S.I., Kuzhelev A.S. "Two possibilities of self-pumped phase conjugation of the laser beam in an inverted laser crystal with a feedback loop," Technical Digest of the Pacific Rim Conference on Laser and Electro/Optics, CLEO/Pacific '95, (OSA, Washington, DC, 1995), paper FM6, p. 36.

Antipov O.L., Belyaev S.I., Kuzhelev A.S. "Laser amplifier with the feedback loop as self-pumped phase conjugator of light beam," Proc. SPIE, v. 2771, pp. 53-60 (1996).

Antipov O.L., Belyaev S.I., Kuzhelev A.S. "Stimulated resonant scattering of the light waves in the laser crystals with population inversion," JETP Lett., v.63, No. 1, p.13-18 (1996).

Antipov O.L., Belyaev S.I., Kuzhelev A.S. "Phase conjugator of the light beams based on a YAG:Nd-rod with reciprocal feedback," OSA Trends in Optics and Photonics on Advanced Solid-State Lasers, Eds. S.A. Payne and C.R. Pollock, (OSA, Washington, DC 1996) v.1, pp. 411-416.

Antipov O.L., Belyaev S.I., Kuzhelev A.S. "Self-pumped phase conjugation mirror based on YAG:Nd with reciprocal multi-loop feedback scheme," Conference on Lasers and Electro/Optics Europe, 1996, Hamburg, Germany, paper CMG5, p.26.

Kuzhelev A.S., Antipov O.L., Belyaev S.I. "Joint stimulated resonant backscattering of incoherent beams in YAG:Nd-amplifier," Technical Digest of Conference on Laser and Electro/Optics, CLEO '97, v. 17, OSA Technical Digest Series (Washington, DC, 1997), paper CTuP2, p. 113.

Antipov O.L., Belyaev S.I., Kuzhelev A.S., Chausov D.I. "Anomalous amplification of optical signal in inverted YAG:Nd due to nonlinear interaction with strong beam," Technical Digest of Conference on Laser and Electro/Optics, CLEO '97, v.17, OSA Technical Digest Series (Washington, DC, 1997), paper CTuP9, p. 118.

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