Compact sources for eyesafe illumination

Nadia Baranova; Rui Pu; Kenneth Stebbins; Ilya Bystryak; Michael Rayno; Kevin Ezzo; Christopher DePriest

doi:10.1117/1.OE.57.2.021202

12 September 2017 Compact sources for eyesafe illumination

Nadia Baranova, Rui Pu, Kenneth Stebbins, Ilya Bystryak, Michael Rayno, Kevin Ezzo, Christopher DePriest

Author Affiliations +

Optical Engineering, Vol. 57, Issue 2, 021202 (September 2017). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.57.2.021202

Abstract

Q-peak has demonstrated a compact, pulsed eyesafe laser architecture operating with <10 mJ pulse energies at repetition rates as high as 160 Hz. The design leverages an end-pumped solid-state laser geometry to produce adequate eyesafe beam quality (M2∼4), while also providing a path toward higher-density laser architectures for pulsed eyesafe applications. The baseline discussed in this paper has shown a unique capability for high-pulse repetition rates in a compact package, and offers additional potential for power scaling based on birefringence compensation. The laser consists of an actively Q-switched oscillator cavity producing pulse widths <30 ns, and utilizing an end-pumped Nd:YAG gain medium with a rubidium titanyl phosphate electro-optical crystal. The oscillator provides an effective front-end-seed for an optical parametric oscillator (OPO), which utilizes potassium titanyl arsenate in a linear OPO geometry. This laser efficiently operates in the eyesafe band, and has been designed to fit within a volume of 3760 cm3. We will discuss details of the optical system design, modeled thermal effects and stress-induced birefringence, as well as experimental advantages of the end-pumped laser geometry, along with proposed paths to higher eyesafe pulse energies.

Citation Download Citation

Nadia Baranova, Rui Pu, Kenneth Stebbins, Ilya Bystryak, Michael Rayno, Kevin Ezzo, and Christopher DePriest "Compact sources for eyesafe illumination," Optical Engineering 57(2), 021202 (12 September 2017). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.57.2.021202

Received: 1 May 2017; Accepted: 22 August 2017; Published: 12 September 2017

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