Synchronously pumped CdSe optical parametric oscillator in the 9-10 microm region.
Continuous mode-locked operation of a singly resonant, synchronously pumped optical parametric oscillator (SPOPO) based on CdSe has produced idler output tuned over the range of 9.1-9.7 microm, the longest wavelength generated so far to our knowledge from a SPOPO. Average idler powers as high as approximately 70 mW are generated in the crystal. Tandem pumping with a diffraction-grating-tuned parametric oscillator in periodically poled lithium niobate provides a convenient and agile means of tuning the noncritically phase-matched CdSe device. The absence of any detrimental thermal effects in the CdSe crystal suggests that significant further power scaling should be possible, with idler tuning ranges extendable to cover 8-12 microm.
Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK. maw@orc.soton.ac.uk
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Watson
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O'Connor
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Shepherd
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Hanna