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Raman conversion with a single Ba(NO) crystal (barium nitrate) either in single- and double-pass travelling-wave setups has been investigated. A Master-Oscillator-Power-Amplifier (MOPA) system, based on a passively Q-switched (PQS) laser generating 500-ps pulses and delivering a total energy of 350 μJ at 1 kHz, was used as pump source for the Raman generator. The two-passes setup yielded 116-μJ, 150-ps Fourier- and diffraction-limited pulses at 1198 nm for ≈3× the Raman threshold with no additional Stokes lines, and conversion efficiency of 35%. Such results are interesting not only for direct applications of the wavelength-shifted laser source, but also for further pulse-compression and supercontinuum generation in fibers. Indeed, self-phase modulation up to 0.82 nm has been demonstrated (pulse compression down to 5 ps) as well as 120-nm supercontinuum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passive mode-locking of a diode-pumped Nd:BaYF (Nd:BaYF) was achieved on four lines in the range 1040–1074 nm, employing a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SAM). Nearly Fourier-limited pulses with durations of 2.6 to 7.2 ps and output power ≈50 mW were generated in a dispersion-controlled resonator using a single prism for wavelength selection, tuning and dispersion management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser operation near 1.06 μm by a diode-pumped Nd:(Lu xGd1− x)3Ga5O12 (Nd:LGGG) disordered crystal has been investigated. Cw oscillation, with a slope efficiency as high as 61% and 230 mW output power, was achieved with 400 mW absorbed power from a 1-W laser diode. Stable passive mode locking with single- or multi-banded spectrum was obtained with a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SAM) and a single-prism, dispersion-compensated cavity. Fourier limited pulses with duration ≈3–9 ps and output power ≈40 mW were generated at three well-defined laser transitions in the range 1062–1067 nm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A single-axial-mode, passively Q-switched (PQS) diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser, generating a diffraction-limited beam train of ≈40–60 μJ, ∼500-ps pulses with adjustable repetition rate in the range 1–10 kHz, was efficiently amplified by a single side-pumped Nd:YVO4 bounce amplifier. After double-pass amplification, ≈1-MW pulse peak power with 577-ps duration and 545-μJ energy was achieved, still maintaining diffraction-limited beam performance. The average output power was 5.45 W at 10 kHz, corresponding to 13% extraction efficiency. The high brightness of this laser system seems ideal for nonlinear optics and some particular laser processing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. CW diode-pumped laser operation of Nd[sup 3+] in Ca[sub 3]Sc[sub 2]Ge[sub 3]O[sub l2] (CaSGG) single garnet crystal has been demonstrated for the first time. We measured an 18% slope efficiency and 2.7-nm tunability with two different laser cavities. A spectroscopic characterization of our sample has also been performed including the absorption cross section in the 800-nm region and the emission cross section and radiative lifetime of the upper laser level. PACS: 42.55.Xi; 42.70.Hj [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. We report on a passively Q-switched diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser including an intracavity optical parametric oscillator, that generates 120-micro J pulses with 1.6ns time duration (75 kW peak power) at 1572nm with excellent beam quality (M[sup 2] Is approximately equal to 1.1) and pulse amplitude fluctuation 2%. The passively Q-switched laser alone, pumped by a 200-Hz repetition rate, 80-W peak-power single diode bar, produced linearly polarized pulses of 12 ns and 460 micro J energy at 1064 nm. A different, more complex cavity setup optimizing the passive Q-switching yielded 160-micro J 2-ns signal pulses with slightly increased peak power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]