Pump Pulse Repetition Rate Research Articles

Planar repetitively pulsed microwave-pumped CO2 laser

A planar repetitively pulsed microwave-pumped CO2 laser with discharge channel lengths of 250 and 470 mm is experimentally investigated. An average laser power of 60 W at a wavelength of 10.6 μm is attained. A peak power of 1300 W is reached in the repetitively pulsed regime. The dependences of the shape and energy of CO2 laser pulse on the introduced power, working gas mixture composition and pressure, and pump-pulse repetition rate and width are analysed.

Emission of mercury monobromide exciplex in gas-discharge plasma based on mixture of mercury dibromide vapor with sulfur hexafluoride and helium

We present the results of investigations of an emission of a mercury monobromide exciplex in gas-discharge plasma of an atmospheric pressure barrier discharge based on a mixture of mercury dibromide vapor, sulfur hexafluoride, and helium. We optimized the emission power of mercury monobromide exciplexes with respect to the partial pressures of the working mixture. An average emission power of 0.42 W (λmax = 502 nm) is achieved in a cylindrical emission source with a small working volume (0.8 cm3) at a pumping pulse repetition rate of 6 kHz. We determined electron energy distribution functions, transport characteristics, specific discharge power losses for electron processes, electron concentration and temperature, as well as rate constants of elastic and inelastic scattering of electrons by components of the working mixture in relation to the ratio of the field strength to the total concentration of components of the working mixture. We discuss processes that increase the population of the mercury monobromide exciplex. Gas-discharge plasma created in a mixture of mercury dibromide vapor with sulfur hexafluoride and helium can be used as a working medium of an emission source in the blue-green spectral range for the use in scientific research in biotechnology, photonics, and medicine, as well as for creating indicator gas-discharge panels.

LD侧向泵浦声光调Q Tm,Ho:LuLF激光器

A diode-side-pumped Tm,Ho:LuLiF laser at 2-1m wavelength obtained in a ring resonator and its amplification experiment are reported. At the maximum pump energy of 4.7 J available for the oscillator, the output energy per pulse for the oscillator decreases from 904 to 483 mJ in free running mode, and decreases from 106 to 68 mJ in Q-switched mode, with an increase of pump pulse repetition rate from 1 to 5 Hz. When considering the amplifier, 99-mJ Q-switched output energy is achieved at 5-Hz repetition rate.

High-power pulse-periodic Nd3+-YAG laser with combined pumping by diode arrays

Output characteristics of the pulse-periodic solid-state laser pumped by diode arrays at a pump pulse repetition rate of 8...512 Hz were studied. Three pump types are used: longitudinal raster-lightguide, transverse, and combined ones. Diode arrays with a pulse power of ∼800 W, emitting area sizes of 5 × 25 mm2, and radiation divergence along two mutually perpendicular axes equal to 4° and 15°, respectively, were used as a pump source. The pump current pulse duration was varied within 100–350 µs. Three operating modes were studied: (i) free generation, (ii) passive Q-switch, and (iii) acousto-optic Q-switch ones. The lasing peak pulse power was (i) ∼2 kW(free generation mode), (ii) ∼1.5 MW (passive Q-switch mode), and (iii) ∼100 kW (acousto-optic Q-switch mode). The highest average lasing power was 150 W at a pump pulse repetition rate of 512 Hz. The highest pulsed lasing energy was 0.65 J.

Gas-discharge laser on a self-terminating thallium transition

We report an experimental study of the performance parameters of a gas discharge pumped thallium vapour laser operating on the 7s2S1/2 - 6p2P3/2o self-terminating transition at 535 nm. The switch we used, a TPI3-10k/25 cold-cathode thyratron, ensures a rise time of the load voltage pulse less than 15 ns. The laser output power is shown to increase in proportion to the energy stored in the discharge capacitor (up to the maximum voltage of the thyratron). The optimal pump pulse repetition rate for He(Ne)—Tl mixtures is ∼1.75 kHz. Even small hydrogen additions reduce the lasing energy and average output power. The addition of bismuth vapour increases the optimal pulse repetition rate (up to 3 kHz) and average output power. The factors responsible for the lower lasing efficiency in comparison with the copper vapour laser are analysed.

10.5 W Time-Averaged Power Mid-IR Supercontinuum Generation Extending Beyond 4 <formula formulatype="inline"> <tex Notation="TeX">$\mu$</tex> </formula>m With Direct Pulse Pattern Modulation

A novel, all-fiber-integrated supercontinuum (SC) laser is demonstrated and provides up to 10.5 W time-averaged power with a continuous spectrum from ~0.8 to 4 mum. The SC is generated in a combination of standard single-mode fibers and ZrF <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</sub> -BaF <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> -LaF <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> -AlF <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> -NaF (ZBLAN) fluoride fibers pumped by a laser-diode-based cladding-pumped fiber amplifier system. The output SC pulse pattern can be modulated by directly modulating the seed laser diode. Near-diffraction-limited beam qualities are maintained over the entire SC spectrum. The SC average power is also linearly scalable by varying the input pump power and pulse repetition rate. We further investigate the theoretical limitations on the achievable average power handling and spectral width for the SC generation in ZBLAN fibers. Based on the thermal modeling, the standard ZBLAN fiber can handle a time-averaged power up to ~15 W, which can be further scaled up to ~40 W with a proper thermal coating applied onto the ZBLAN fiber. The SC long-wavelength edge is limited by the nonlinear wavelength generation processes, fiber bend-induced loss, and glass material loss. By using a ZBLAN fiber with a 0.3 numerical aperture, the SC spectrum could extend out to ~4.5 mum, which is then limited by the material loss.

Study of a helium laser pumped by a pulsed electron beam generated in an open discharge

A laser on the self-contained helium 21P10 — 21S0 transition pumped by a pulsed electron beam generated in an open discharge is simulated and experimentally studied. Lasing without decreasing the pulse energy in a tube of diameter 31 mm was observed up to the pump pulse repetition rate of 10 kHz determined by the parameters of a power supply. Dynamics of the electric field in an accelerating gap and populations of the working levels of helium are calculated. The radiation power calculated in accordance with its radial distribution measured in the saturated amplification regime is 7.85 times higher than that in the lasing regime. The practical laser efficiency of 0.056% is achieved for the quantum efficiency of 0.7%.

A microwave-pumped slab CO2 laser

The radiation parameters of a diffusion-cooled compact slab CO2 laser pumped by microwave discharge at a frequency of 2.45 GHz are studied. A magnetron from a domestic microwave oven is used as the pump source. An average output power of 25 W and an efficiency of ∼13% are obtained at a wavelength 10.6 μm. A peak output power of 580 W is achieved for 20-μs pulses emitted at a pulse repetition rate of 400 Hz. The dependence of parameters of the CO2 laser on the input pulse power in the range 0.8–8 kW, the composition and pressure of the working mixture and the pump pulse duration and repetition rate are studied experimentally. Optimal relations between these parameters are determined for the given design of the laser.

Effect of gas mixture composition and pump conditions on the parameters of the CuBr–Ne–H2(HBr) laser

The optimal pressures of the active H2, HBr impurities and the working substance (copper bromide) for an effective operation of the CuBr laser are determined experimentally. It is shown that to achieve the highest output laser parameters by increasing the voltage across the gas-discharge tube and the pump pulse repetition rate, it is also necessary to increase the amount of the impurity introduced. At the same time, the optimal pressure of copper bromide decreases with increasing the pulse repetition rate.

Power scalable mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in ZBLAN fluoride fibers with up to 1.3 watts time-averaged power

Mid-infrared supercontinuum (SC) extending to ~4.0 mum is generated with 1.3 W time-averaged power, the highest power to our knowledge, in ZBLAN (ZrF(4)-BaF(2)-LaF(3)-AlF(3)-NaF...) fluoride fiber by using cladding-pumped fiber amplifiers and modulated laser diode pulses. We demonstrate the scalability of the SC average power by varying the pump pulse repetition rate while maintaining the similar peak power. Simulation results obtained by solving the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation show that the long wavelength edge of the SC is primarily determined by the peak pump power in the ZBLAN fiber.

Diode pumped actively Q-switched Nd:YVO4 self-Raman laser

By using Nd:YVO4 as the gain medium and the Raman medium simultaneously, the actively Q-switched operation of the self-Raman Nd:YVO4 laser at 1176 nm was realized. The output characteristics including the average power, pulse energy and pulse width versus the incident pump power and pulse repetition rate were investigated. At a pulse repetition rate of 20 kHz an average power up to 0.57 W was obtained with the incident pump power of 10.2 W, corresponding to a conversion efficiency of 5.6% with respect to the diode laser input power. Meanwhile, an analysis of the self-Raman Nd:YVO4 laser was carried out by using the rate equations. The obtained theoretical results were in agreement with the experimental results on the whole.

Optical characteristics of barrier discharge plasma based on mixtures of cadmium diiodide vapors with gases

The spectral, integrated, and working life characteristics of the radiation from atmospheric pressure gas discharge plasma based on multicomponent mixtures (cadmium diiodide with helium and small admixtures of molecular nitrogen and xenon) are analyzed. A pulsed barrier discharge (pulse repetition rates 5000, 5500, and 6000 Hz; pulse duration ∼150 ns) is used both to produce the gas discharge plasma and to excite the components of the working mixture. Visible radiation is detected from excimer molecules of cadmium monoiodide and cadmium, xenon, and krypton atoms. Regular features are found in the variations of optical plasma characteristics with pumping pulse repetition rate and with component and quantitative mixture composition.

Q-Switched Intracavity Frequency-Doubled Solid State Lasers: Influence of ETU Effect, Repetition Rate and ESA Effect

Our theoretical analysis showed that the overall intracavity frequency-doubled actively Q-switched solid state laser performance is affected by both pulse repetition rate and energy transfer up-conversion effect. The energy transfer up-conversion effect increased greatly and seriously degraded the laser performance especially when operating at high pumping power and low pulse repetition rate. The curves generated by numerical computation of the presented model can be used to predict the laser performance. We concluded that the pulse lengthening effect also appears with the influence of energy transfer up-conversion and is not related to the repetition rate. From the analysis, we found that the frequency doubling coefficient that Liu and Kim chose in their experiment was just the optimized value. Considering the effect of excited state absorption of saturable absorber into passively Q-switched intracavity frequency doubled solid state laser, the second threshold condition for this model is derived. A simple and very clear formula is obtained.

Modeling of active and passive Q-switched intracavity frequency-doubled solid state lasers

We present a model of high-power continuous-wave laser-diode pumped actively Q-switched intracavity frequency-doubled green laser, in which the energy transfer up-conversion effect was taken into account. Our theoretical analysis showed that the overall laser performance is affected by both pulse repetition rate and energy transfer up-conversion effect. The energy transfer up-conversion effect increase greatly and seriously degrade the laser performance especially when operating at high pumping power and low pulse repetition rate. The good agreement with the experimental measurements reported in previous paper demonstrates that energy transfer up-conversion effect have to be considered to predict the laser operational characteristics accurately. We also first derived the second threshold condition for passively Q-switched intracavity frequency doubled solid state laser by including the effect of excited state absorption of saturable absorber into this model. A simple, and very clear formula was obtained.

A superpowerful source of far-ultraviolet monochromatic radiation

In several independent experiments investigating the interaction between the optical field of an intense laser pulse and a xenon cluster beam, we recorded an anomalously high quantum yield of the plasma radiation in the region 10–15 nm. In several cases, the conversion efficiency into the hemisphere reached 10% of the pumping pulse energy. The nature of this phenomenon has not yet been adequately explained. A high conversion efficiency is shown to be possible when producing a plasma with optimal parameters for the amplification of spontaneous radiation on Ni-like xenon transitions to be generated. In a collisional-radiative model, we performed detailed atomic-kinetic calculations of the gains and radiation spectra on the transitions with λ ≈ 4, 10, and 11.3 nm and in the region 13–13.9 nm. For each transition, we determined the time dependences of the gains on plasma parameters. The theoretical and experimental values of the optimal plasma parameters and energy yields of the radiation are in close agreement. Using a theoretical model, we propose possible plasma pumping schemes to achieve the maximum yield of the intense, narrowly beamed soft X-ray radiation. At a pumping pulse repetition rate of 104 Hz, the output power for various Ni-like xenon transitions ranges from 100 to 5 × 103 W.

Repetitively pulsed operating regime of a high-pressure atomic xenon transition laser

The repetitively pulsed regime of an atomic xenon transition laser pumped by an electron beam with various pulse durations and an electron-beam-initiated discharge is studied experimentally. An average radiation power of 2.5 W has been achieved in a quasi-stationary regime for a pulse repetition rate of 5 Hz in a laser pumped by a radially convergent electron beam of duration 100 μs without circulation of the Ar — Xe working mixture. The average output power for a laser pumped by a planar electron beam in quasi-stationary regime is 2 W. It is shown that for a specific energy contribution not exceeding 50 J L-1 and laser excitation by a train of electron-beam pulses at a repetition rate of 50 Hz, the amplitude and duration of the second lasing pulse virtually coincide with those of the first. For a laser pumped by a discharge initiated by a nanosecond electron beam, an average lasing power of 380 mW is achieved under steady-state conditions upon transverse circulation of the working mixture and a pump pulse repetition rate of 25 Hz. Pumping by an electron beam from two accelerators with a pulse duration of a few tens of microseconds under an Ar — Xe mixture pressure of about 1 atm and a specific pump power of 1 — 3 kW cm-3 per pulse is proposed for the development of 1.73-μm repetitively pulsed Xe lasers with a high average output power.

Theoretical analysis of the mechanisms of influence of hydrogen additions on the emission parameters of a copper vapour laser

A kinetic model of the active medium of a copper vapour laser with hydrogen additions is proposed. The model is tested using the available experimental data. Various points of view concerning the improvement of the emission parameters of the laser by adding hydrogen are analysed in detail. It is shown that the improvement of lasing parameters caused by the hydrogen addition is explained by different mechanisms. In the case of low pump-pulse repetition rates, the improvement is caused by an increase in the initial ground-state density of copper atoms and by quenching of the metastable states of copper atoms. When the pump-pulse repetition rate is high, the improvement is achieved due to a decrease in the prepulse electron concentration and temperature.

A broadband excimer source of visible radiation with barrier discharge pumping

We investigate the characteristics of a broadband cylindrical excimer source of visible radiation with a surface area of 230 cm2 excited by a pulse-periodic barrier discharge based on multicomponent mixtures (mercury diiodide and dibromide with helium and admixtures of molecular nitrogen and xenon). The working mixture components were excited by a pulse-periodic (pulse repetition rate 500–5000 Hz, pulse duration ∼150 ns) barrier discharge. We detected radiation from excimer HgI* and HgBr* molecules, the second positive system of molecular nitrogen, and mercury and xenon atoms. The amplitude, duration, and trailing edge of the radiation pulses in the HgI2:HgBr2:Xe:He and HgI2: HgBr2:N2:He mixtures with admixtures of xenon and molecular nitrogen were found to change compared to the HgI2:HgBr2:He mixture. The optimal partial pressure of helium lies within the range 162–195 kPa. The most intense radiation from HgI* and HgBr* molecules (in a ratio of more than 3: 1) is observed in the HgI2:HgBr2: Xe:He mixture. The mean and pulse radiation powers are 45 W and 93 kW, respectively, at a pumping pulse repetition rate of 5000 Hz and an efficiency of 30%. We discuss the spectral and temporal characteristics of the radiation source and the dependence of the radiation intensity of excimer molecules of mercury monoiodide and monobromide on the partial pressures of xenon and nitrogen. We point out that the radiation source is of considerable interest for applications in biotechnology and medicine.

Optical characteristics of barrier discharge plasma based on mixtures of mercury diiodide and dibromide vapors with gases

We analyze the spectral, integrated, and durability characteristics of radiation from atmospheric-pressure gas-discharge plasma based on multicomponent mixtures (mercury diiodide and dibromide with helium and small admixtures of molecular nitrogen and xenon). We produced the gas-discharge plasma and excited the components of the working mixture by a pulsed (pulse repetition rates 500, 2000, and 4000 Hz; pulse duration ∼150 ns) barrier discharge. Visible radiation was detected from excimer molecules of mercury monoiodide and monobromide, nitrogen and helium molecules, and helium and mercury atoms. Patterns were found in the variations of optical plasma characteristics with pumping pulse repetition rate and with component and quantitative mixture composition.

A copper bromide vapour laser with a high pulse repetition rate

The results of an experimental study of a copper bromide vapour laser with a discharge-channel diameter above 2.5 cm and a high pump-pulse repetition rate are presented. A TGU1-1000/25 high-power tacitron used as a switch made it possible to obtain for the first time a fairly high output radiation power for pump-pulse repetition rates exceeding 200 kHz. At a maximum pump-pulse repetition rate of 250 kHz achieved in a laser tube 2.6 cm in diameter and 76 cm long, the output power was 1.5 W. The output powers of 3 and 10.5 W were reached for pump-pulse repetition rates of 200 and 100 kHz, respectively. These characteristics were obtained without circulating a buffer gas and (or) low-concentration active impurities through the active volume.