Synchronously pumped continuous-wave dye laser pumped by a mode-locked frequency-doubled diode-pumped Nd:YLF laser

Area of Science:

• Laser Physics
• Nonlinear Optics
• Quantum Electronics

Background:

• Diode-pumped solid-state lasers are crucial for various applications.
• Efficient frequency conversion is essential for generating specific wavelengths.
• Mode-locked lasers provide ultrashort pulses for advanced research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an efficient resonant frequency doubling technique for a mode-locked Nd:YLF laser.
• To generate continuous-wave (CW) mode-locked output in the green spectrum.
• To utilize the green output for synchronously pumping a dye laser.

Main Methods:

• A diode-pumped Nd:YLF laser was mode-locked using frequency-modulation.
• The laser output was resonantly doubled using MgO:LiNbO(3) in an external ring enhancement cavity.
• The generated green light was used to synchronously pump a Rhodamine R6G dye laser.

Main Results:

• Achieved 650 mW of mode-locked output at 1047 nm with 12-ps pulses.
• Obtained up to 56% doubling efficiency using MgO:LiNbO(3).
• Produced 250 mW of continuous-wave mode-locked green output at 523.5 nm.
• The synchronously pumped dye laser generated ~1-ps pulses with 40 mW output power.

Conclusions:

• Demonstrated an efficient resonant frequency doubling technique for diode-pumped Nd:YLF lasers.
• Successfully generated usable green CW mode-locked output.
• Established a viable method for synchronously pumping dye lasers with frequency-doubled solid-state laser output.