Carbon dioxide waveguide lasers with folds and tilted mirrors

Area of Science:

• Optics and Photonics
• Laser Physics
• Waveguide Technology

Background:

• Radio frequency (RF) excited lasers offer efficient excitation methods.
• Waveguide lasers provide compact and high-power laser sources.
• Understanding laser output characteristics is crucial for device optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the performance of an RF-excited z-fold CO2 waveguide laser.
• To analyze the influence of mirror tilt on laser output power, spectral lines, and transverse modes.
• To validate theoretical predictions using experimental data.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical modeling using a multimode matrix resonator model.
• Experimental setup of an RF-excited z-fold CO2 waveguide laser.
• Systematic variation of elbow mirror tilt to observe changes in laser output.

Main Results:

• Experimental results show good agreement with the multimode matrix resonator model predictions.
• Laser output power, rotational lines, and transverse modes were found to vary with elbow mirror tilt.
• Multilining and multifrequency operation were observed and partly explained by gain/loss ratios.

Conclusions:

• The multimode matrix resonator model effectively predicts the behavior of the CO2 waveguide laser.
• Elbow mirror tilt is a critical parameter for tuning the output characteristics of this laser system.
• Gain/loss dynamics play a significant role in enabling multilining and multifrequency operation.