title: High-power, variable repetition rate, picosecond optical parametric oscillator pumped by an amplified gain-switched diode.
abstract: We demonstrate a picosecond optical parametric oscillator (OPO) that is synchronously pumped by a fiber-amplified gain-switched laser diode. At 24W of pump power, up to 7.3W at 1.54microm and 3.1W at 3.4microm is obtained in separate output beams. The periodically poled MgO-doped LiNbO(3) OPO operates with ~17ps pulses at a fundamental repetition rate of 114.8MHz but can be switched to higher repetition rates up to ~1GHz. Tunabilty between 1.4microm and 1.7microm (signal) and 2.9microm and 4.4microm (idler) is demonstrated by translating the nonlinear crystal to access different poling-period gratings and typical M(2) values of 1.1 by 1.2 (signal) and 1.6 by 3.2 (idler) are measured at high power for the singly resonant oscillator.
authors.affiliation: Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK. flk@orc.soton.ac.uk
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kienle
authors.forename: Kang K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shaif-Ul
authors.initials: SU
authors.lastname: Alam
authors.forename: Corin B E
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Gawith
authors.forename: Jacob I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Mackenzie
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Hanna
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Shepherd