Experimental investigation of the spectro-temporal dynamics of the light pulses of Q-switched Nd:YAG lasers and nanosecond optical parametric oscillators

Abstract

We report an experimental investigation of the spectro-temporal dynamics of the pulse formation in Q-switched Nd:YAG lasers and in nanosecond optical parametric oscillators (OPOs). The temporal evolution of the spectral intensity distribution of the light pulses was measured with a 1-m Czerny–Turner spectrometer in combination with a fast streak camera. This detection system allows the analysis of temporal changes in the spectrum of single nanosecond pulses. The measurements were performed for a flashlamp-pumped, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and for an unseeded as well as for a seeded singly-resonant nanosecond OPO. The laser output spectrum varies strongly from pulse to pulse and even within a single pulse due to mode beating. In an unseeded OPO, individual spectral modes start to oscillate statistically from the parametric noise for pump powers close to the OPO threshold. With increasing pump power a strong modulation in the spectral formation of the pulse is observed, resulting from a strong interaction of parametric conversion and back conversion of signal and idler radiation into pump radiation. By means of injection seeding, the starting condition was controlled for a single mode. Due to the seed radiation, the seeded mode starts sooner than the unseeded modes. These are suppressed completely in the case of sufficient seed power and moderate pump power. The observations are in good agreement with results of corresponding numerical simulations.