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A longitudinally pumped, widely tunable, solid-state Yb:KYF4 laser was developed with special design for applications to optical frequency metrology and absolute frequency stabilization. The KYF4 crystalline host, combined with efficient diode pumping, allows for wide wavelength tunability at about 1.03 µm in a single transverse mode. Two different laser cavity designs were experimentally investigated. The combined use of an intracavity birefringent filter and uncoated glass etalons provides single-frequency output power at the 100-mW level in a folded-cavity resonator. A second hemispherical linear cavity was also developed with one or two coated intracavity etalons for single~frequency operation. The novel laser sources were thoroughly characterized in terms of output power and beam quality, amplitude noise, wavelength tunability, and single-axial-mode operation. High-quality TEM00 single-frequency laser radiation opens the way to the development of a new optical frequency standard based on the 12 molecule at 0.5-µm wavelength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measurement of the frequency and intensity noise in a novel single-mode 2-µm Tm-Ho:KYF laser is presented. The laser frequency noise is measured by exploiting the fringe side of the transmission of a Fabry-Pérot interferometer. The measured power spectral density of the frequency noise is principally characterized by a random-walk noise contribution, which sets an emission linewidth of ∼ 600 kHz for the 2-µm radiation. The relative intensity noise (RIN) reaches the quantum limit of -155 dB/Hz for Fourier frequencies above 1 MHz and shows a maximum level of -90 dB/Hz at the relaxation-oscillation frequency of 20 kHz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single crystals of monoclinic BaY[sub 2]F[sub 8], doped with different Nd[sup 3+] concentrations, were successfully grown by means of the Czochralski method. Here, we present a polarized infrared (IR) spectroscopic investigation and diode-Pumped continuous-wave laser results in the 1 µm wavelength region. Moreover for the first time 1.3 µm laser emission has been characterized. Q-switching results in the 1-µm region are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]