1  kHz single-frequency 2.09  μm Ho:YAG ring laser

Area of Science:

• Laser Physics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Holmium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Ho:YAG) lasers are crucial for various applications due to their emission at 2.09 μm.
• Achieving high-repetition-rate, single-frequency operation in Ho:YAG lasers presents significant technical challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally realize a high-repetition-rate, single-frequency Ho:YAG ring laser.
• To characterize the performance of the developed laser system.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a continuous wave (CW) Ho:YAG non-planar ring oscillator (NPRO) laser for injection-seeding.
• Implementing a ring laser cavity design to achieve single-frequency oscillation.
• Employing a heterodyne technique for spectral characterization.

Main Results:

• Successfully achieved single-frequency operation of the Ho:YAG ring laser at 2.09 μm.
• Obtained an output energy of 6.24 mJ with a pulse width of 172 ns at a repetition rate of 1 kHz.
• Measured a beam quality factor (M²-factor) of approximately 1.3 and a pulse spectrum half-width of 2.61 MHz.

Conclusions:

• The experimental realization of a high-repetition-rate, single-frequency Ho:YAG ring laser has been successfully demonstrated.
• The developed laser system exhibits excellent beam quality and spectral characteristics.
• This work paves the way for advanced applications requiring high-energy, single-frequency pulsed lasers at 2.09 μm.