Measuring the Dispersion in Laser Cavity Mirrors using White-Light Interferometry

Abstract

Terahertz radiation is an emerging field that has far reaching applications. There is a need for portable and affordable terahertz sources that may be used for detection of structural weaknesses in aerospace composites. One possibility for terahertz generation is a femtosecond Cr:LiSAF laser. However, controlling intracavity dispersion is necessary in order to get the ultrashort pulses needed to generate terahertz radiation. This research measures dispersion of the chirped femtosecond intracavity mirrors by employing white-light interferometry and explains the theory behind the curve-fitting process used to calculate dispersion. To compensate for the narrow reflectivity band of the mirrors, a CaF2 (calcium fluoride) window was used to increase the number of spectral fringes in the interferogram. A cavity was designed using these mirrors, and the Cr:LiSAF laser was successfully modelocked.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2008
Accession Number
ADA483325

Entities

People

  • Allison S. Goodspeed

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Composite Materials
  • Curve Fitting
  • Femtosecond Time
  • Frequency Combs
  • Laser Applications
  • Laser Diodes
  • Laser Pulses
  • Laser Science
  • Lasers
  • Light (Electromagnetic Radiation)
  • Light Sources
  • Nonlinear Optics
  • Optical Phenomena
  • Optical Properties
  • Optics
  • Terahertz Radiation

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Optical Physics and Photonics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Space