A Hybrid Self-Seeded Ti:sapphire Laser with a Pumping Scheme Based on Spectral Beam Combination of Continuous Wave Diode and Pulsed DPSS Lasers

Abstract

A wide variety of applications require high peak laser intensity in conjunction with a narrow spectral linewidth. Typically, injection-locked amplifiers have been employed for this purpose, where a continuous wave oscillator is amplified in a secondary external resonant amplifier cavity using a pulsed pump laser. In contrast, here we demonstrate a setup that combines a CW Ti:sapphire oscillator and pulsed amplifier in a single optical cavity, resulting in a compact system. Dichroic beam combination of blue wavelength semiconductor diodes and the green wavelength of a Nd:YAG laser allowed the simultaneous excitation of the Ti:sapphire crystal by both continuous wave and pulsed pump sources. A linewidth of <2 MHz is achieved in continuous wave operation, while the linewidth increases to about 10 MHz in the combined CW+pulsed mode with a pulse duration of 73 ns. A peak pulse intensity of 0.2 kW is achieved, which should enable efficient single-pass second harmonic generation in a nonlinear crystal.