High-power actively Q-switched single-mode 1342 nm Nd:YVO₄ ring laser, injection-locked by a cw single-frequency...

Area of Science:

• Lasers and Optics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Neodymium-doped yttrium orthovanadate (Nd:YVO4) lasers are crucial for various applications.
• Achieving stable, single-mode, Q-switched operation in ring laser configurations presents engineering challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To realize a single-mode, Q-switched Nd:YVO4 ring laser operating at 1342 nm.
• To investigate the performance and beam quality of the developed laser and its frequency-doubled output.

Main Methods:

• Utilized injection-locking with a continuous wave Nd:YVO4 microchip laser to achieve unidirectional and single-mode operation.
• Employed frequency doubling techniques to convert the fundamental 1342 nm output to 671 nm.

Main Results:

• The Q-switched Nd:YVO4 ring laser achieved 13.9 W of single-mode power at 1342 nm with excellent beam quality (M² < 1.05).
• Frequency doubling yielded 8.7 W of power at 671 nm with a pulse duration of 14.8 ns and M² < 1.1.
• The 671 nm radiation demonstrated a long-term spectral width of 75 MHz.

Conclusions:

• Successfully realized a high-power, single-mode, Q-switched Nd:YVO4 ring laser.
• Demonstrated efficient second-harmonic generation, providing a valuable light source at 671 nm with good spectral stability.