Thermal effects and their mitigation in end-pumped solid-state lasers
Thermal effects and their mitigation in end-pumped solid-state lasers
Degradation in beam quality due to aberrated thermal lensing and depolarization loss due to stress induced birefringence in end-pumped edge-cooled solid-state lasers are investigated. A simple model for the dependence of thermal lensing and degradation in beam quality on the transverse intensity profile of the pump beam is presented. Experimental measurements of thermal lensing, degradation in beam quality and depolarization loss in a diode-bar-end-pumped Nd:YAG rod support the main predictions of the model and, in addition, show that there can be significant extra heating under non-lasing conditions compared to lasing conditions. The role of energy transfer upconversion as a mechanism for additional heat loading under non-lasing conditions is considered. Finally, various strategies for limiting the impact of thermal lensing and thermally induced birefringence on laser performance in simple end-pumped cavity configurations are reviewed.
2381-2395
Clarkson, W.A.
3b060f63-a303-4fa5-ad50-95f166df1ba2
21 August 2001
Clarkson, W.A.
3b060f63-a303-4fa5-ad50-95f166df1ba2
Clarkson, W.A.
(2001)
Thermal effects and their mitigation in end-pumped solid-state lasers.
Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 34 (16), .
(doi:10.1088/0022-3727/34/16/302).
Abstract
Degradation in beam quality due to aberrated thermal lensing and depolarization loss due to stress induced birefringence in end-pumped edge-cooled solid-state lasers are investigated. A simple model for the dependence of thermal lensing and degradation in beam quality on the transverse intensity profile of the pump beam is presented. Experimental measurements of thermal lensing, degradation in beam quality and depolarization loss in a diode-bar-end-pumped Nd:YAG rod support the main predictions of the model and, in addition, show that there can be significant extra heating under non-lasing conditions compared to lasing conditions. The role of energy transfer upconversion as a mechanism for additional heat loading under non-lasing conditions is considered. Finally, various strategies for limiting the impact of thermal lensing and thermally induced birefringence on laser performance in simple end-pumped cavity configurations are reviewed.
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Published date: 21 August 2001
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Local EPrints ID: 13686
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/13686
ISSN: 0022-3727
PURE UUID: 85cb4e25-16c4-449f-b0b7-ec2ee7aaeb70
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Date deposited: 05 Jan 2005
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 05:10
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