Management of thermal effects in high-repetition-rate pulsed optical parametric oscillators.
We report on the investigation of thermal effects in high-repetition-rate pulsed optical parametric oscillators emitting in the mid-IR. We find that the thermal load induced by the nonresonant idler absorption plays a critical role in the emergence of thermally induced bistability. We then demonstrate a significant improvement of the conversion efficiency (more than 30%) when a proper axial temperature gradient is applied to the nonlinear crystal by use of a two-zone temperature-controlled oven.
ONERA-the French Aerospace Lab, Chemin de la Hunière, F-91761 Palaiseau Cedex, France. antoine.godard@onera.fr
Antoine
A
Godard
Myriam
M
Raybaut
Thomas
T
Schmid
Michel
M
Lefebvre
Anne-Marie
AM
Michel
Michel
M
Péalat