High-energy diode-pumped alexandrite amplifier development with applications in satellite-based lidar
At a Glance
Section titled āAt a Glanceā| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2020-11-17 |
| Journal | Journal of the Optical Society of America B |
| Authors | A. T. Coney, M. J. Damzen |
| Institutions | Imperial College London |
| Citations | 24 |
Abstract
Section titled āAbstractāEfficient, wavelength-tunable diode-pumped alexandrite laser systems offer the potential for a more versatile, satellite-based lidar source compared to fixed wavelength Nd:YAG systems and non-space compliant lamp-pumped alexandrite. In this paper, we develop a strategy to enable the high-energy operation required for atmospheric lidar based on an efficient diode-pumped master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) system design. A novel multipass ādiamondā slab amplifier geometry is introduced alongside the experimental results of the worldās first diode-pumped alexandrite amplifier producing a gain of 2.13 in a demonstration system. A diode-pumped <mml:math xmlns:mml=āhttp://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathMLā display=āinlineā> <mml:mi>Q</mml:mi> </mml:math> -switched alexandrite oscillator is presented with a record-highest pulse energy of 3.80 mJ. Detailed optimization of a two-stage amplifier design is studied numerically and maximized with temperature, wavelength, and pump pulse duration to produce 50 mJ pulse energy. This forms part of an optimized alexandrite MOPA design capable of high pulse energy, showing the future potential of diode-pumped alexandrite for satellite-based atmospheric lidar.
Tech Support
Section titled āTech SupportāOriginal Source
Section titled āOriginal SourceāReferences
Section titled āReferencesā- 2012 - Spaceborne lasers development for Aladin and Atlid instruments [Crossref]
- 1990 - Extended tuning range of alexandrite at elevated temperatures