High-energy hybrid Raman optical parametric amplifier eye safe laser source

A high-energy eye safe laser source at 1.54 µm is demonstrated experimentally by using a hybrid system of stimulated Raman scattering and optical parametric amplification pumped by a single 1.06-µm Nd:YAG laser source. This system overcomes some of the technical problems that occur in conventional eye safe lasers, such as optical breakdown and thermal blooming in the Raman laser, and thermal conduction problems in the erbium-doped glass solid-state laser that limit the repetition rate when high-energy output is sought. Thus this hybrid design provides a simple system that could provide a high pulse energy output (> 50 mJ) at a repetition rate of greater than 10 Hz.