Improvement of the self-Q-switching behavior of a Cr:LiSrAlF6 laser by use of binary diffractive optics.
It has been shown experimentally and theoretically that Q-switching behavior is possible in a flashlamp-pumped Cr-doped LiSrAlF6 (Cr3+:LiSAF) laser that consists only of two mirrors, a laser crystal, and a diaphragm. We demonstrate that insertion into a laser of a binary diffractive optical element can speed up the dynamics of the self-Q-switched laser such that the output pulse is shortened (from 60 to 33 ns) and its energy is increased (from 36 to 54 mJ). The self-Q-switching behavior of the laser has the ability to produce a laser pulse with a duration that one can adjust continuously from 60 to 700 ns just by opening the diaphragm.
Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche Ions Lasers, Unité Mixte de Recherche 6637 Institut Supérieure de la Matière et du Rayonnement, F14050 Caen, France.
Nicolas
N
Passilly
Michael
M
Fromager
Kamel
K
Aït-Ameur