High-power, widely tunable, room-temperature picosecond optical parametric oscillator based on cylindrical 5%MgO:PPLN

Area of Science:

• Laser Physics
• Nonlinear Optics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Picosecond optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) are crucial for generating tunable laser light.
• High-power and stable OPO sources are in demand for various scientific applications.
• MgO:PPLN is a key nonlinear crystal for OPO development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a high-power picosecond OPO based on MgO:PPLN.
• To achieve tunable output in the near- and mid-infrared regions.
• To characterize the power, stability, and beam quality of the OPO.

Main Methods:

• Synchronous pumping of a singly resonant OPO using an Yb-fiber laser.
• Utilizing a cylindrical MgO:PPLN crystal for parametric conversion.
• Angle tuning the crystal at room temperature for wavelength tunability.

Main Results:

• Simultaneous signal (2.4 W at 1664 nm) and idler (1.7 W at 2950 nm) output achieved.
• Overall extraction efficiency of approximately 45%.
• High beam-pointing stability (<30 μrad signal, <14 μrad idler) and passive power stability (<1% rms signal, <0.8% rms idler over 15 h).
• High beam quality (TEM00 profile) and picosecond pulse durations (15.2 ps).

Conclusions:

• The developed MgO:PPLN OPO is a high-power, tunable source.
• The OPO exhibits excellent power stability and beam quality.
• This OPO system is suitable for applications requiring stable, high-power picosecond pulses in the near- and mid-infrared.