title: Measurement of thermal lensing in a CW BaWO4 intracavity Raman laser.
abstract: The thermal lens induced in an a-cut BaWO(4) crystal by stimulated Raman scattering is measured using lateral shearing interferometry. The strength of the lens is proportional to the Stokes output power. For light polarized parallel to the a-axis, and a Stokes mode radius of 120 μm, the lens is negative and highly astigmatic: -0.8 D W(-1) in the plane parallel to the a-axis and -7.7 D W(-1) in the plane parallel to the c-axis. The implications of this thermal lens for Raman laser design are discussed.
authors.affiliation: MQ Photonics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia. gerald.bonner@mq.edu.au
authors.forename: Gerald M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Bonner
authors.forename: Helen M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Pask
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Alan J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Kemp
authors.forename: Jiyang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Huaijin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Takashige
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Omatsu
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007368:Interferometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007834:Lasers; D007909:Lenses; D008027:Light; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013696:Temperature