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Radially polarized mode-locked Nd:YAG laser
Florian Enderli1, Thomas Feurer
1Institute of Applied Physics, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. florian.enderli@iap.unibe.ch
Optics Letters
|July 3, 2009
Summary
We developed a novel Neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd:YAG) laser that emits radially polarized, mode-locked pulses. This laser technology achieves high beam quality and significant output power for advanced applications.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Laser Physics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Radially polarized beams offer unique advantages in laser-matter interactions.
- Mode-locked lasers generate ultrashort pulses crucial for high-speed applications.
- Nd:YAG lasers are widely used solid-state laser gain media.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a Nd:YAG laser emitting radially polarized, mode-locked pulses.
- To investigate the use of thermally induced birefringence for polarization control.
- To characterize the output performance of the developed laser system.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a Nd:YAG crystal to generate laser emission.
- Exploited thermally induced birefringence within the crystal for radial polarization.
- Implemented a mode-locking technique to produce short pulses.
- Measured output power, pulse duration, repetition rate, and beam quality.
Main Results:
- Successfully generated radially polarized, mode-locked pulses with a duration of 140 ps.
- Achieved a laser repetition rate of 82 MHz.
- Obtained a maximum average output power of 3 W.
- Demonstrated beam quality close to the theoretical diffraction limit (M2=2).
Conclusions:
- The study successfully demonstrated a Nd:YAG laser producing radially polarized, mode-locked pulses.
- Thermally induced birefringence is an effective method for achieving radial polarization in Nd:YAG lasers.
- The laser system exhibits promising performance for applications requiring high beam quality and ultrashort pulses.
