Laser Frequency Multiplication
Abstract
The available Lumonics TEA CO2 lasers (gain lengths 40 cm and 120 cm) have been mounted on an optical table and preparation of the mode-locked, line- selected output has begun. The 0.5 micro sec TEA laser pulse was considered to be too short for effective mode-locking so its pulser was modified into a simple three-element PFN to give 3 micro sec excitation. Single transverse mode operation was obtained with the 40 cm device in a folded 6m optical cavity, giving an output energy of 0.5 J in a Gaussian spot of parameter omega=0.46 cm. A continuous--wave CO2 laser was grating tuned to 9.55 micron and injected at the 0.1 watt level into the pulsed oscillator in order to frequency lock its output and at the same time suppress the gain-switched spike . This exercise was successful, even without using a mode-matching lens of 5 m focal length which is on order. Suppression of the gain-switched spike is important for our study of harmonic conversion efficiency. The output envelope at this point is unacceptable erratic, possibly due to air movement in the resonator beam path. Further effort will be made to improve the output reproducibility.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA243596