An off Axis Cavity Enhanced Absorption Spectrometer and a Rapid Scan Spectrometer with a Room-Temperature External Cavity Quantum Cascade Laser

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xunchen; Kang, Cheolhwa; Xu, Yunjie

2009-06-01

Quantum cascade laser (QCL) is a new type of mid-infrared tunable diode lasers with superior output power and mode quality. Recent developments, such as room temperature operation, wide frequency tunability, and narrow line width, make QCLs an ideal light source for high resolution spectroscopy. Two slit jet infrared spectrometers, namely an off-axis cavity enhanced absorption (CEA) spectrometer and a rapid scan spectrometer with an astigmatic multi-pass cell assembly, have been coupled with a newly purchased room temperature tunable mod-hop-free QCL with a frequency coverage from 1592 cm^{-1} to 1698 cm^{-1} and a scan rate of 0.1 cm^{-1}/ms. Our aim is to utilize these two sensitive spectrometers, that are equipped with a molecular jet expansion, to investigate the chiral molecules-(water)_n clusters. To demonstrate the resolution and sensitivity achieved, the rovibrational transitions of the static N_2O gas and the bending rovibrational transitions of the Ar-water complex, a test system, at 1634 cm^{-1} have been measured. D. Hofstetter and J. Faist in High performance quantum cascade lasers and their applications, Vol.89 Springer-Verlag Berlin & Heidelberg, 2003, pp. 61-98. Y. Xu, X. Liu, Z. Su, R. M. Kulkarni, W. S. Tam, C. Kang, I. Leonov and L. D'Agostino, Proc. Spie, 2009, 722208 (1-11). M. J. Weida and D. J. Nesbitt, J. Chem. Phys. 1997, 106, 3078-3089.

Design, fabrication, and optimization of quantum cascade laser cavities and spectroscopy of the intersubband gain

Science.gov (United States)

Dirisu, Afusat Olayinka

Quantum Cascade (QC) lasers are intersubband light sources operating in the wavelength range of ˜ 3 to 300 mum and are used in applications such as sensing (environmental, biological, and hazardous chemical), infrared countermeasures, and free-space infrared communications. The mid-infrared range (i.e. lambda ˜ 3-30 mum) is of particular importance in sensing because of the strong interaction of laser radiation with various chemical species, while in free space communications the atmospheric windows of 3-5 mum and 8-12 mum are highly desirable for low loss transmission. Some of the requirements of these applications include, (1) high output power for improved sensitivity; (2) high operating temperatures for compact and cost-effective systems; (3) wide tunability; (4) single mode operation for high selectivity. In the past, available mid-infrared sources, such as the lead-salt and solid-state lasers, were bulky, expensive, or emit low output power. In recent years, QC lasers have been explored as cost-effective and compact sources because of their potential to satisfy and exceed all the above requirements. Also, the ultrafast carrier lifetimes of intersubband transitions in QC lasers are promising for high bandwidth free-space infrared communication. This thesis was focused on the improvement of QC lasers through the design and optimization of the laser cavity and characterization of the laser gain medium. The optimization of the laser cavity included, (1) the design and fabrication of high reflection Bragg gratings and subwavelength antireflection gratings, by focused ion beam milling, to achieve tunable, single mode and high power QC lasers, and (2) modeling of slab-coupled optical waveguide QC lasers for high brightness output beams. The characterization of the QC laser gain medium was carried out using the single-pass transmission experiment, a sensitive measurement technique, for probing the intersubband transitions and the electron distribution of QC lasers

Absolute spectroscopy near 7.8 μm with a comb-locked extended-cavity quantum-cascade-laser.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamperti, Marco; AlSaif, Bidoor; Gatti, Davide; Fermann, Martin; Laporta, Paolo; Farooq, Aamir; Marangoni, Marco

2018-01-22

We report for the first time the frequency locking of an extended-cavity quantum-cascade-laser (EC-QCL) to a near-infrared frequency comb. The locked laser source is exploited to carry out molecular spectroscopy around 7.8 μm with a line-centre frequency combined uncertainty of ~63 kHz. The strength of the approach, in view of an accurate retrieval of line centre frequencies over a spectral range as large as 100 cm -1 , is demonstrated on the P(40), P(18) and R(31) lines of the fundamental rovibrational band of N 2 O covering the centre and edges of the P and R branches. The spectrometer has the potential to be straightforwardly extended to other spectral ranges, till 12 μm, which is the current wavelength limit for commercial cw EC-QCLs.

Absolute spectroscopy near 7.8 μm with a comb-locked extended-cavity quantum-cascade-laser

KAUST Repository

Lamperti, Marco; Alsaif, Bidoor; Gatti, Davide; Fermann, Martin; Laporta, Paolo; Farooq, Aamir; Marangoni, Marco

2018-01-01

We report for the first time the frequency locking of an extended-cavity quantum-cascade-laser (EC-QCL) to a near-infrared frequency comb. The locked laser source is exploited to carry out molecular spectroscopy around 7.8 μm with a line-centre frequency combined uncertainty of ~63 kHz. The strength of the approach, in view of an accurate retrieval of line centre frequencies over a spectral range as large as 100 cm-1, is demonstrated on the P(40), P(18) and R(31) lines of the fundamental rovibrational band of N2O covering the centre and edges of the P and R branches. The spectrometer has the potential to be straightforwardly extended to other spectral ranges, till 12 μm, which is the current wavelength limit for commercial cw EC-QCLs.

Absolute spectroscopy near 7.8 μm with a comb-locked extended-cavity quantum-cascade-laser

KAUST Repository

Lamperti, Marco

2018-01-16

We report for the first time the frequency locking of an extended-cavity quantum-cascade-laser (EC-QCL) to a near-infrared frequency comb. The locked laser source is exploited to carry out molecular spectroscopy around 7.8 μm with a line-centre frequency combined uncertainty of ~63 kHz. The strength of the approach, in view of an accurate retrieval of line centre frequencies over a spectral range as large as 100 cm-1, is demonstrated on the P(40), P(18) and R(31) lines of the fundamental rovibrational band of N2O covering the centre and edges of the P and R branches. The spectrometer has the potential to be straightforwardly extended to other spectral ranges, till 12 μm, which is the current wavelength limit for commercial cw EC-QCLs.

Multicomponent gas analysis using broadband quantum cascade laser spectroscopy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reyes Reyes, A.; Hou, Z.; Van Mastrigt, E.; Horsten, R.C.; De Jongste, J.C.; Pijnenburg, M.W.; Urbach, H.P.; Bhattacharya, N.

2014-01-01

We present a broadband quantum cascade laser-based spectroscopic system covering the region between 850 and 1250 cm?1. Its robust multipass cavity ensures a constant interaction length over the entire spectral region. The device enables the detection and identification of numerous molecules present

Detection of benzene and toluene gases using a midinfrared continuous-wave external cavity quantum cascade laser at atmospheric pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Sydoryk, Ihor; Lim, Alan; Jäger, Wolfgang; Tulip, John; Parsons, Matthew T

2010-02-20

We demonstrate the application of a commercially available widely tunable continuous-wave external cavity quantum cascade laser as a spectroscopic source for the simultaneous detection of multiple gases. We measured broad absorption features of benzene and toluene between 1012 and 1063 cm(-1) (9.88 and 9.41 microm) at atmospheric pressure using an astigmatic Herriott multipass cell. Our results show experimental detection limits of 0.26 and 0.41 ppm for benzene and toluene, respectively, with a 100 m path length for these two gases.

Mode structure of a quantum cascade laser

Science.gov (United States)

Bogdanov, A. A.; Suris, R. A.

2011-03-01

We analyze the mode structure of a quantum cascade laser (QCL) cavity considering the surface plasmon-polariton modes and familiar modes of hollow resonator jointly, within a single model. We present a comprehensive mode structure analysis of the laser cavity, varying its geometric parameters and free electron concentration inside cavity layers within a wide range. Our analysis covers, in particular, the cases of metal-insulator-metal and insulator-metal-insulator waveguides. We discuss the phenomenon of negative dispersion for eigenmodes in detail and explain the nature of this phenomenon. We specify a waveguide parameters domain in which negative dispersion exists. The mode structure of QCL cavity is considered in the case of the anisotropic electrical properties of the waveguide materials. We show that anisotropy of the waveguide core results in propagation of Langmuir modes that are degenerated in the case of the isotropic core. Comparative analysis of optical losses due to free carrier absorption is presented for different modes within the frequency range from terahertz to ultraviolet frequencies.

Broadband multi-wavelength Brillouin lasers with an operating wavelength range of 1500–1600 nm generated by four-wave mixing in a dual wavelength Brillouin fiber laser cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Q.; Jia, Z. X.; Weng, H. Z.; Li, Z. R.; Yang, Y. D.; Xiao, J. L.; Chen, S. W.; Huang, Y. Z.; Qin, W. P.; Qin, G. S.

2018-05-01

We demonstrate broadband multi-wavelength Brillouin lasers with an operating wavelength range of 1500–1600 nm and a frequency separation of ~9.28 GHz generated by four-wave mixing in a dual wavelength Brillouin fiber laser cavity. By using one continuous-wave laser as the pump source, multi-wavelength Brillouin lasers with an operating wavelength range of 1554–1574 nm were generated via cascaded Brillouin scattering and four-wave mixing. Interestingly, when pumped by two continuous-wave lasers with an appropriate frequency separation, the operating wavelength range of the multi-wavelength Brillouin lasers was increased to 1500–1600 nm due to cavity-enhanced cascaded four-wave mixing among the frequency components generated by two pump lasers in the dual wavelength Brillouin laser cavity.

Integrated Broadband Quantum Cascade Laser

Science.gov (United States)

Mansour, Kamjou (Inventor); Soibel, Alexander (Inventor)

2016-01-01

A broadband, integrated quantum cascade laser is disclosed, comprising ridge waveguide quantum cascade lasers formed by applying standard semiconductor process techniques to a monolithic structure of alternating layers of claddings and active region layers. The resulting ridge waveguide quantum cascade lasers may be individually controlled by independent voltage potentials, resulting in control of the overall spectrum of the integrated quantum cascade laser source. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Absolute spectroscopy near 7.8 {\\mu} m with a comb-locked extended-cavity quantum-cascade-laser

KAUST Repository

Lamperti, Marco

2017-07-31

We report the first experimental demonstration of frequency-locking of an extended-cavity quantum-cascade-laser (EC-QCL) to a near-infrared frequency comb. The locking scheme is applied to carry out absolute spectroscopy of N2O lines near 7.87 {\\\\mu}m with an accuracy of ~60 kHz. Thanks to a single mode operation over more than 100 cm^{-1}, the comb-locked EC-QCL shows great potential for the accurate retrieval of line center frequencies in a spectral region that is currently outside the reach of broadly tunable cw sources, either based on difference frequency generation or optical parametric oscillation. The approach described here can be straightforwardly extended up to 12 {\\\\mu}m, which is the current wavelength limit for commercial cw EC-QCLs.

Chemical sensors based on quantum cascade lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Tittel, Frank K.; Kosterev, Anatoliy A.; Rochat, Michel; Beck, Mattias; Faist, Jerome

2002-09-01

There is an increasing need in many chemical sensing applications ranging from industrial process control to environmental science and medical diagnostics for fast, sensitive, and selective gas detection based on laser spectroscopy. The recent availability of novel pulsed and cw quantum cascade distributed feedback (QC-DFB) lasers as mid-infrared spectroscopic sources address this need. A number of spectroscopic techniques have been demonstrated. For example, the authors have employed QC-DFB lasers for the monitoring and quantification of several trace gases and isotopic species in ambient air at ppmv and ppbv levels by means of direct absorption, wavelength modulation, cavity enhanced and cavity ringdown spectroscopy. In this work, pulsed thermoelectrically cooled QC-DFB lasers operating at ~15.6 μm were characterized for spectroscopic gas sensing applications. A new method for wavelength scanning based on the repetition rate modulation was developed. A non-wavelength-selective pyroelectric detector was incorporated in the gas sensor giving an advantage of room-temperature operation and low cost. Absorption lines of CO2 and H2O were observed in ambient air providing information about the concentration of these species.

Interband cascade lasers with >40% continuous-wave wallplug efficiency at cryogenic temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canedy, C. L.; Kim, C. S.; Merritt, C. D.; Bewley, W. W.; Vurgaftman, I.; Meyer, J. R.; Kim, M.

2015-01-01

Broad-area 10-stage interband cascade lasers (ICLs) emitting at λ = 3.0–3.2 μm are shown to maintain continuous-wave (cw) wallplug efficiencies exceeding 40% at temperatures up to 125 K, despite having a design optimized for operation at ambient and above. The cw threshold current density at 80 K is only 11 A/cm 2 for a 2 mm cavity with anti-reflection/high-reflection coatings on the two facets. The external differential quantum efficiency for a 1-mm-long cavity with the same coatings is 70% per stage at 80 K, and still above 65% at 150 K. The results demonstrate that at cryogenic temperatures, where free carrier absorption losses are minimized, ICLs can convert electrical to optical energy nearly as efficiently as the best specially designed intersubband-based quantum cascade lasers

Cascade Type-I Quantum Well GaSb-Based Diode Lasers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leon Shterengas

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Cascade pumping of type-I quantum well gain sections was utilized to increase output power and efficiency of GaSb-based diode lasers operating in a spectral region from 1.9 to 3.3 μm. Carrier recycling between quantum well gain stages was realized using band-to-band tunneling in GaSb/AlSb/InAs heterostructure complemented with optimized electron and hole injector regions. Coated devices with an ~100-μm-wide aperture and a 3-mm-long cavity demonstrated continuous wave (CW output power of 1.96 W near 2 μm, 980 mW near 3 μm, 500 mW near 3.18 μm, and 360 mW near 3.25 μm at 17–20 °C—a nearly or more than twofold increase compared to previous state-of-the-art diode lasers. The utilization of the different quantum wells in the cascade laser heterostructure was demonstrated to yield wide gain lasers, as often desired for tunable laser spectroscopy. Double-step etching was utilized to minimize both the internal optical loss and the lateral current spreading penalties in narrow-ridge lasers. Narrow-ridge cascade diode lasers operate in a CW regime with ~100 mW of output power near and above 3 μm and above 150 mW near 2 μm.

Frequency locking of an extended-cavity quantum cascade laser to a frequency comb for precision mid infrared spectroscopy

KAUST Repository

Alsaif, Bidoor; Lamperti, Marco; Gatti, Davide; Laporta, Paolo; Fermann, Martin E.; Farooq, Aamir; Marangoni, Marco

2017-01-01

Extended-cavity quantum cascade lasers (EC-QCLs) enable mode-hope-free frequency sweeps in the mid-infrared region over ranges in excess of 100 cm−1, at speeds up to 1 THz/s and with a 100-mW optical power level. This makes them ideally suited for broadband absorption spectroscopy and for the simultaneous detection of multiple gases. On the other hand, their use for precision spectroscopy has been hampered so far by a large amount of frequency noise, resulting in an optical linewidth of about 30 MHz over 50 ms [1]. This is one of the reasons why neither their frequency nor their phase have been so far locked to a frequency comb. Their use in combination with frequency combs has been performed in an open loop regime only [2], which has the merit of preserving the inherently fast modulation speed of these lasers, yet not to afford high spectral resolution and accuracy.

Frequency locking of an extended-cavity quantum cascade laser to a frequency comb for precision mid infrared spectroscopy

KAUST Repository

Alsaif, Bidoor

2017-11-02

Extended-cavity quantum cascade lasers (EC-QCLs) enable mode-hope-free frequency sweeps in the mid-infrared region over ranges in excess of 100 cm−1, at speeds up to 1 THz/s and with a 100-mW optical power level. This makes them ideally suited for broadband absorption spectroscopy and for the simultaneous detection of multiple gases. On the other hand, their use for precision spectroscopy has been hampered so far by a large amount of frequency noise, resulting in an optical linewidth of about 30 MHz over 50 ms [1]. This is one of the reasons why neither their frequency nor their phase have been so far locked to a frequency comb. Their use in combination with frequency combs has been performed in an open loop regime only [2], which has the merit of preserving the inherently fast modulation speed of these lasers, yet not to afford high spectral resolution and accuracy.

Standoff detection of turbulent chemical mixture plumes using a swept external cavity quantum cascade laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phillips, Mark C. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington; Brumfield, Brian E. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington

2017-08-21

We demonstrate standoff detection of turbulent mixed-chemical plumes using a broadly-tunable external cavity quantum cascade laser (ECQCL). The ECQCL was directed through plumes of mixed methanol/ethanol vapor to a partially-reflective surface located 10 m away. The reflected power was measured as the ECQCL was swept over its tuning range of 930-1065 cm-1 (9.4-10.8 µm) at rates up to 200 Hz. Analysis of the transmission spectra though the plume was performed to determine chemical concentrations with time resolution of 0.005 s. Comparison of multiple spectral sweep rates of 2 Hz, 20 Hz, and 200 Hz shows that higher sweep rates reduce effects of atmospheric and source turbulence, resulting in lower detection noise and more accurate measurement of the rapidly-changing chemical concentrations. Detection sensitivities of 0.13 ppm*m for MeOH and 1.2 ppm*m for EtOH are demonstrated for a 200 Hz spectral sweep rate, normalized to 1 s detection time.

Laser frequency modulator for modulating a laser cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Erbert, Gaylen V.

1992-01-01

The present invention relates to a laser frequency modulator for modulating a laser cavity. It is known in the prior art to utilize a PZT (piezoelectric transducer) element in combination with a mirror to change the cavity length of a laser cavity (which changes the laser frequency). Using a PZT element to drive the mirror directly is adequate at frequencies below 10 kHz. However, in high frequency applications (100 kHz and higher) PZT elements alone do not provide a sufficient change in the cavity length. The present invention utilizes an ultrasonic concentrator with a PZT element and mirror to provide modulation of the laser cavity. With an ultrasonic concentrator, the mirror element at the end of a laser cavity can move at larger amplitudes and higher frequencies.

High performance 40-stage and 15-stage quantum cascade lasers based on two-material active region composition

Science.gov (United States)

Figueiredo, P.; Suttinger, M.; Go, R.; Todi, A.; Shu, Hong; Tsvid, E.; Patel, C. Kumar N.; Lyakh, A.

2017-05-01

5.6μm quantum cascade lasers based on Al0.78In0.22As/In0.69Ga0.31As active region composition with measured pulsed room temperature wall plug efficiency of 28.3% are reported. Injection efficiency for the upper laser level of 75% was measured by testing devices with variable cavity length. Threshold current density of 1.7kA/cm2 and slope efficiency of 4.9W/A were measured for uncoated 3.15mm x 9µm lasers. Threshold current density and slope efficiency dependence on temperature in the range from 288K to 348K can be described by characteristic temperatures T0 140K and T1 710K, respectively. Pulsed slope efficiency, threshold current density, and wallplug efficiency for a 2.1mm x 10.4µm 15-stage device with the same design and a high reflection-coated back facet were measured to be 1.45W/A, 3.1kA/cm2 , and 18%, respectively. Continuous wave values for the same parameters were measured to be 1.42W/A, 3.7kA/cm2 , and 12%. Continuous wave optical power levels exceeding 0.5W per millimeter of cavity length was demonstrated. When combined with the 40-stage device data, the inverse slope efficiency dependence on cavity length for 15-stage data allowed for separate evaluation of the losses originating from the active region and from the cladding layers of the laser structure. Specifically, the active region losses for the studied design were found to be 0.77cm-1, while cladding region losses - 0.33cm-1. The data demonstrate that active region losses in mid wave infrared quantum cascade lasers largely define total waveguide losses and that their reduction should be one of the main priorities in the quantum cascade laser design.

Intra-pulse laser absorption sensor with cavity enhancement for oxidation experiments in a rapid compression machine

KAUST Repository

Nasir, Ehson Fawad; Farooq, Aamir

2018-01-01

A sensor based on a mid-IR pulsed quantum cascade laser (QCL) and off-axis cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy (OA-CEAS) has been developed for highly sensitive concentration measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) in a rapid compression machine

High power cascade diode lasers emitting near 2 μm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hosoda, Takashi; Feng, Tao; Shterengas, Leon, E-mail: leon.shterengas@stonybrook.edu; Kipshidze, Gela; Belenky, Gregory [State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794 (United States)

2016-03-28

High-power two-stage cascade GaSb-based type-I quantum well diode lasers emitting near 2 μm were designed and fabricated. Coated devices with cavity length of 3 mm generated about 2 W of continuous wave power from 100-μm-wide aperture at the current of 6 A. The power conversion efficiency peaked at 20%. Carrier recycling between quantum well gain stages was realized using band-to-band tunneling in GaSb/AlSb/InAs heterostructure complemented with optimized electron and hole injector regions. Design optimization eliminated parasitic optical absorption and thermionic emission, and included modification of the InAs quantum wells of electron and composition and doping profile of hole injectors. Utilization of the cascade pumping scheme yielded 2 μm lasers with improved output power and efficiency compared to existing state-of-the-art diodes.

THz cavities and injectors for compact electron acceleration using laser-driven THz sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moein Fakhari

2017-04-01

Full Text Available We present a design methodology for developing ultrasmall electron injectors and accelerators based on cascaded cavities excited by short multicycle THz pulses obtained from laser-driven THz generation schemes. Based on the developed concept for optimal coupling of the THz pulse, a THz electron injector and two accelerating stages are designed. The designed electron gun consists of a four cell cavity operating at 300 GHz and a door-knob waveguide to coaxial coupler. Moreover, special designs are proposed to mitigate the problem of thermal heat flow and induced mechanical stress to achieve a stable device. We demonstrated a gun based on cascaded cavities that is powered by only 1.1 mJ of THz energy in 300 cycles to accelerate electron bunches up to 250 keV. An additional two linac sections can be added with five and four cell cavities both operating at 300 GHz boosting the bunch energy up to 1.2 MeV using a 4-mJ THz pulse.

Micro-Cavity Fluidic Dye Laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Helbo, Bjarne; Kristensen, Anders; Menon, Aric Kumaran

2003-01-01

We have successfully designed, fabricated and characterized a micro-cavity fluidic dye laser with metallic mirrors, which can be integrated with polymer based lab-on-a-chip microsystems without further processing steps. A simple rate-equation model is used to predict the average pumping power...... threshold for lasing as function of cavity-mirror reflectance, laser dye concentration and cavity length. The laser device is characterized using the laser dye Rhodamine 6G dissolved in ethanol. Lasing is observed, and the influence of dye concentration is investigated....

Narrow line-width Tm3+ doped double-clad silica fiber laser based on in-line cascade biconical tapers filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tian, Y; Zhao, J Q; Wang, W; Wang, Y Z; Gao, W

2010-01-01

Narrow line-width 793 nm laser diode cladding pumped Tm 3+ doped double cladding silica fiber laser with in-line four concatenated tapers filter was reported for the first time to our knowledge. These cascade tapers located 3.6 cm from the output end of the fiber laser was fabricated by heating and stretching method. The taper's transmitted power response as a function of wavelength was described by using local mode coupling theory and successive tapers filter model. The wavelength filter function of the in-line cascade tapers in a linear cavity fiber laser was demonstrated, and the experimental result agreed with these theories. The maximum output laser power was 736 mW, corresponding to single peak of laser spectrum with narrow line-width of ∼ 60 pm

Cascade laser applications: trends and challenges

Science.gov (United States)

d'Humières, B.; Margoto, Éric; Fazilleau, Yves

2016-03-01

When analyses need rapid measurements, cost effective monitoring and miniaturization, tunable semiconductor lasers can be very good sources. Indeed, applications like on-field environmental gas analysis or in-line industrial process control are becoming available thanks to the advantage of tunable semiconductor lasers. Advances in cascade lasers (CL) are revolutionizing Mid-IR spectroscopy with two alternatives: interband cascade lasers (ICL) in the 3-6μm spectrum and quantum cascade lasers (QCL), with more power from 3 to 300μm. The market is getting mature with strong players for driving applications like industry, environment, life science or transports. CL are not the only Mid-IR laser source. In fact, a strong competition is now taking place with other technologies like: OPO, VCSEL, Solid State lasers, Gas, SC Infrared or fiber lasers. In other words, CL have to conquer a share of the Mid-IR application market. Our study is a market analysis of CL technologies and their applications. It shows that improvements of components performance, along with the progress of infrared laser spectroscopy will drive the CL market growth. We compare CL technologies with other Mid-IR sources and estimate their share in each application market.

Rf transfer in the Coupled-Cavity Free-Electron Laser Two-Beam Accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Makowski, M.A.

1991-01-01

A significant technical problem associated with the Coupled-Cavity Free-Electron Laser Two-Beam Accelerator is the transfer of RF energy from the drive accelerator to the high-gradient accelerator. Several concepts have been advanced to solve this problem. This paper examines one possible solution in which the drive and high-gradient cavities are directly coupled to one another by means of holes in the cavity walls or coupled indirectly through a third intermediate transfer cavity. Energy cascades through the cavities on a beat frequency time scale which must be made small compared to the cavity skin time but large compared to the FEL pulse length. The transfer is complicated by the fact that each of the cavities in the system can support many resonant modes near the chosen frequency of operation. A generalized set of coupled-cavity equations has been developed to model the energy transfer between the various modes in each of the cavities. For a two cavity case transfer efficiencies in excess of 95% can be achieved. 3 refs., 2 figs

Two-photon cavity solitons in a laser: radiative profiles, interaction and control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Serrat, C [Departament de FIsica i Enginyeria Nuclear, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Colom 1, E-08222 Terrassa (Spain); Torrent, M C [Departament de FIsica i Enginyeria Nuclear, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Colom 1, E-08222 Terrassa (Spain); Vilaseca, R [Departament de FIsica i Enginyeria Nuclear, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Colom 1, E-08222 Terrassa (Spain); GarcIa-Ojalvo, J [Center for Applied Mathematics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States); Brambilla, M [Dipartimento di Fisica and INFM, Politecnico di Bari, Via E. Orabona 4, I-70126 Bari (Italy)

2004-05-01

We study the properties of two-photon cavity solitons that appear in a broad-area cascade laser. These vectorial solitons consist of islands of two-photon emission emerging over a background of single-photon emission. Analysis of their structural properties reveals singular features such as their short distance radiation of outgoing waves, which can be interpreted in terms of the soliton frequency profile. However, the phase of these solitons is not determined by any external factor, which influences the way in which the structures can be written and erased. We also examine ways of controlling the cavity-soliton position, and analyse the interaction between neighbouring cavity solitons. Finally, investigation of the parameter dependence of these structures shows a route from soliton-dominated to defect-mediated turbulence.

Optical feedback effects on terahertz quantum cascade lasers: modelling and applications

Science.gov (United States)

Rakić, Aleksandar D.; Lim, Yah Leng; Taimre, Thomas; Agnew, Gary; Qi, Xiaoqiong; Bertling, Karl; Han, She; Wilson, Stephen J.; Kundu, Iman; Grier, Andrew; Ikonić, Zoran; Valavanis, Alexander; Demić, Aleksandar; Keeley, James; Li, Lianhe H.; Linfield, Edmund H.; Davies, A. Giles; Harrison, Paul; Ferguson, Blake; Walker, Graeme; Prow, Tarl; Indjin, Dragan; Soyer, H. Peter

2016-11-01

Terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are compact sources of radiation in the 1-5 THz range with significant potential for applications in sensing and imaging. Laser feedback interferometry (LFI) with THz QCLs is a technique utilizing the sensitivity of the QCL to the radiation reflected back into the laser cavity from an external target. We will discuss modelling techniques and explore the applications of LFI in biological tissue imaging and will show that the confocal nature of the QCL in LFI systems, with their innate capacity for depth sectioning, makes them suitable for skin diagnostics with the well-known advantages of more conventional confocal microscopes. A demonstration of discrimination of neoplasia from healthy tissue using a THz, LFI-based system in the context of melanoma is presented using a transgenic mouse model.

Intra-pulse laser absorption sensor with cavity enhancement for oxidation experiments in a rapid compression machine

KAUST Repository

Nasir, Ehson Fawad

2018-05-23

A sensor based on a mid-IR pulsed quantum cascade laser (QCL) and off-axis cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy (OA-CEAS) has been developed for highly sensitive concentration measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) in a rapid compression machine. The duty cycle and the pulse repetition rate of the laser were optimized for increased tuning range, high chirp rate, and small line width to achieve effective laser-cavity coupling. This enabled spectrally resolved CO line-shape measurements at high pressures (P ~10 bar). A gain factor of 133 and a time resolution of 10 μs were demonstrated. CO concentration-time profiles during the oxidation of highly dilute n-octane/air mixtures were recorded, illustrating new opportunities in RCM experiments for chemical kinetics.

A photothermal Mach-Zehnder interferometer for measuring caffeine and proteins in aqueous solutions using external cavity quantum cascade lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Kristament, Christian; Schwaighofer, Andreas; Montemurro, Milagros; Lendl, Bernhard

2018-02-01

One of the advantages of mid-IR spectroscopy in biomedical research lies in its capability to provide direct information on the secondary structure of proteins in their natural, often aqueous, environment. One impediment of direct absorption measurements in the correspondent spectral region is the strong absorbance of the native solvent (H2O). In this regard, the advent of broadly-tunable external cavity quantum cascade lasers (EC-QCL) allowed to significantly increasing the optical path length employed in transmission measurements due to their high spectral power densities. Low measured S/N ratios were improved by elaborated data analysis protocols that corrected mechanical flaws in the tuning mechanism of ECQCLs and allow for S/N ratios comparable to research grade FTIR spectrometers. Recent development of new optical set-ups outpacing direct absorption measurements led to further advancements. We present a dedicated Mach-Zehnder interferometer for photothermal measurements in balanced detection mode. In this highly sensitive design, the interferometer is illuminated by a HeNe laser to detect the refractive index change induced by the heat insertion of the EC-QCL. Here, we present photothermal phase shift interferometry measurements of caffeine in ethanol as well as casein in water. Further, the dependency of the signal amplitude on varying modulation frequencies was investigated for different liquids.

Wavelength modulation spectroscopy coupled with an external-cavity quantum cascade laser operating between 7.5 and 8 µm

Science.gov (United States)

Maity, Abhijit; Pal, Mithun; Maithani, Sanchi; Dutta Banik, Gourab; Pradhan, Manik

2018-04-01

We demonstrate a mid-infrared detection strategy with 1f-normalized 2f-wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS-2f/1f) using a continuous wave (CW) external-cavity quantum cascade laser (EC-QCL) operating between 7.5 and 8 µm. The detailed performance of the WMS-2f/1f detection method was evaluated by making rotationally resolved measurements in the (ν 4  +  ν 5) combination band of acetylene (C2H2) at 1311.7600 cm-1. A noise-limited detection limit of three parts per billion (ppb) with an integration time of 110 s was achieved for C2H2 detection. The present high-resolution CW-EC-QCL system coupled with the WMS-2f/1f strategy was further validated with an extended range of C2H2 concentration of 0.1-1000 ppm, which shows excellent promise for real-life practical sensing applications. Finally, we utilized the WMS-2f/1f technique to measure the C2H2 concentration in the exhaled breath of smokers.

External amplitude and frequency modulation of a terahertz quantum cascade laser using metamaterial/graphene devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Kindness, S J; Jessop, D S; Wei, B; Wallis, R; Kamboj, V S; Xiao, L; Ren, Y; Braeuninger-Weimer, P; Aria, A I; Hofmann, S; Beere, H E; Ritchie, D A; Degl'Innocenti, R

2017-08-09

Active control of the amplitude and frequency of terahertz sources is an essential prerequisite for exploiting a myriad of terahertz applications in imaging, spectroscopy, and communications. Here we present a optoelectronic, external modulation technique applied to a terahertz quantum cascade laser which holds the promise of addressing a number of important challenges in this research area. A hybrid metamaterial/graphene device is implemented into an external cavity set-up allowing for optoelectronic tuning of feedback into a quantum cascade laser. We demonstrate powerful, all-electronic, control over the amplitude and frequency of the laser output. Full laser switching is performed by electrostatic gating of the metamaterial/graphene device, demonstrating a modulation depth of 100%. External control of the emission spectrum is also achieved, highlighting the flexibility of this feedback method. By taking advantage of the frequency dispersive reflectivity of the metamaterial array, different modes of the QCL output are selectively suppressed using lithographic tuning and single mode operation of the multi-mode laser is enforced. Side mode suppression is electrically modulated from ~6 dB to ~21 dB, demonstrating active, optoelectronic modulation of the laser frequency content between multi-mode and single mode operation.

Hybrid vertical cavity laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chung, Il-Sug; Mørk, Jesper

2010-01-01

A new hybrid vertical cavity laser structure for silicon photonics is suggested and numerically investigated. It incorporates a silicon subwavelength grating as a mirror and a lateral output coupler to a silicon ridge waveguide.......A new hybrid vertical cavity laser structure for silicon photonics is suggested and numerically investigated. It incorporates a silicon subwavelength grating as a mirror and a lateral output coupler to a silicon ridge waveguide....

Cascade-induced fluctuations and the transition from the stable to the critical cavity radius for swelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayns, M.R.; Mansur, L.K.

1985-01-01

Recently, a cascade diffusion theory was developed to understand cacade-induced fluctuations in point defect flux during irradiation. Application of the theory revealed that such fluctuations give rise to a mechanism of cascade-induced creep that is predicted to be of significant magnitude. Here we extend the investigation to the formation of cavities. Specifically, we explore the possible importance of cascade-induced cavity growth excursions in triggering a transition from the gas-content-dictated stable radius to the critical radius for bias-driven growth. Two methods of analysis are employed. The first uses the variance of fluctuations to assess the average effect of fluctuations. The second is based on the fact that in a large ensemble of cavities, a small fraction will experience larger than average excursions. This prospect is assessed by estimating upper limits to the processes. For the conditions considered, it is concluded that cascade-induced fluctuations are of minor importance in triggering the onset of swelling in a population of stable gas-containing cavities

Low-Loss Hollow Waveguide Fibers for Mid-Infrared Quantum Cascade Laser Sensing Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James A. Harrington

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We report on single mode optical transmission of hollow core glass waveguides (HWG coupled with an external cavity mid-IR quantum cascade lasers (QCLs. The QCL mode results perfectly matched to the hybrid HE11 waveguide mode and the higher losses TE-like modes have efficiently suppressed by the deposited inner dielectric coating. Optical losses down to 0.44 dB/m and output beam divergence of ~5 mrad were measured. Using a HGW fiber with internal core size of 300 µm we obtained single mode laser transmission at 10.54 µm and successful employed it in a quartz enhanced photoacoustic gas sensor setup.

High Quality Plasmonic Sensors Based on Fano Resonances Created through Cascading Double Asymmetric Cavities

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Xiangao; Shao, Mingzhen; Zeng, Xiaoqi

2016-01-01

In this paper, a type of compact nanosensor based on a metal-insulator-metal structure is proposed and investigated through cascading double asymmetric cavities, in which their metal cores shift along different axis directions. The cascaded asymmetric structure exhibits high transmission and sharp Fano resonance peaks via strengthening the mutual coupling of the cavities. The research results show that with the increase of the symmetry breaking in the structure, the number of Fano resonances ...

Waveguide based external cavity semiconductor lasers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oldenbeuving, Ruud; Klein, E.J.; Offerhaus, Herman L.; Lee, Christopher James; Verhaegen, M.; Boller, Klaus J.

2012-01-01

We report on progress of the project waveguide based external cavity semiconductor laser (WECSL) arrays. Here we present the latest results on our efforts to mode lock an array of tunable, external cavity semiconductor lasers.

Lasers with intra-cavity phase elements

Science.gov (United States)

Gulses, A. Alkan; Kurtz, Russell; Islas, Gabriel; Anisimov, Igor

2018-02-01

Conventional laser resonators yield multimodal output, especially at high powers and short cavity lengths. Since highorder modes exhibit large divergence, it is desirable to suppress them to improve laser quality. Traditionally, such modal discriminations can be achieved by simple apertures that provide absorptive loss for large diameter modes, while allowing the lower orders, such as the fundamental Gaussian, to pass through. However, modal discrimination may not be sufficient for short-cavity lasers, resulting in multimodal operation as well as power loss and overheating in the absorptive part of the aperture. In research to improve laser mode control with minimal energy loss, systematic experiments have been executed using phase-only elements. These were composed of an intra-cavity step function and a diffractive out-coupler made of a computer-generated hologram. The platform was a 15-cm long solid-state laser that employs a neodymium-doped yttrium orthovanadate crystal rod, producing 1064 nm multimodal laser output. The intra-cavity phase elements (PEs) were shown to be highly effective in obtaining beams with reduced M-squared values and increased output powers, yielding improved values of radiance. The utilization of more sophisticated diffractive elements is promising for more difficult laser systems.

Rapid and Sensitive Quantification of Isotopic Mixtures Using a Rapidly-Swept External Cavity Quantum Cascade Laser

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian E. Brumfield

2016-05-01

Full Text Available A rapidly-swept external-cavity quantum cascade laser with an open-path Herriott cell is used to quantify gas-phase chemical mixtures of D2O and HDO at a rate of 40 Hz (25-ms measurement time. The chemical mixtures were generated by evaporating D2O liquid near the open-path Herriott cell, allowing the H/D exchange reaction with ambient H2O to produce HDO. Fluctuations in the ratio of D2O and HDO on timescales of <1 s due to the combined effects of plume transport and the H/D exchange chemical reaction are observed. Noise-equivalent concentrations (1σ (NEC of 147.0 ppbv and 151.6 ppbv in a 25-ms measurement time are determined for D2O and HDO, respectively, with a 127-m optical path. These NECs are improved to 23.0 and 24.0 ppbv with a 1-s averaging time for D2O and HDO, respectively. NECs <200 ppbv are also estimated for N2O, 1,1,1,2–tetrafluoroethane (F134A, CH4, acetone and SO2 for a 25-ms measurement time. The isotopic precision for measurement of the [D2O]/[HDO] concentration ratio of 33‰ and 5‰ is calculated for the current experimental conditions for measurement times of 25 ms and 1 s, respectively.

Integration of a terahertz quantum cascade laser with a hollow waveguide

Science.gov (United States)

Wanke, Michael C [Albuquerque, NM; Nordquist, Christopher D [Albuquerque, NM

2012-07-03

The present invention is directed to the integration of a quantum cascade laser with a hollow waveguide on a chip to improve both the beam pattern and manufacturability. By coupling the QCL output into a single-mode rectangular waveguide the radiation mode structure can be known and the propagation, manipulation, and broadcast of the QCL radiation can then be entirely controlled by well-established rectangular waveguide techniques. By controlling the impedance of the interface, enhanced functions, such as creating amplifiers, efficient coupling to external cavities, and increasing power output from metal-metal THz QCLs, are also enabled.

Active mode-locking of mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers with short gain recovery time.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yongrui; Belyanin, Alexey

2015-02-23

We investigate the dynamics of actively modulated mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) using space- and time-domain simulations of coupled density matrix and Maxwell equations with resonant tunneling current taken into account. We show that it is possible to achieve active mode locking and stable generation of picosecond pulses in high performance QCLs with a vertical laser transition and a short gain recovery time by bias modulation of a short section of a monolithic Fabry-Perot cavity. In fact, active mode locking in QCLs with a short gain recovery time turns out to be more robust to the variation of parameters as compared to previously studied lasers with a long gain recovery time. We investigate the effects of spatial hole burning and phase locking on the laser output.

Interband cascade lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vurgaftman, I; Meyer, J R; Canedy, C L; Kim, C S; Bewley, W W; Merritt, C D; Abell, J; Weih, R; Kamp, M; Kim, M; Höfling, S

2015-01-01

We review the current status of interband cascade lasers (ICLs) emitting in the midwave infrared (IR). The ICL may be considered the hybrid of a conventional diode laser that generates photons via electron–hole recombination, and an intersubband-based quantum cascade laser (QCL) that stacks multiple stages for enhanced current efficiency. Following a brief historical overview, we discuss theoretical aspects of the active region and core designs, growth by molecular beam epitaxy, and the processing of broad-area, narrow-ridge, and distributed feedback (DFB) devices. We then review the experimental performance of pulsed broad area ICLs, as well as the continuous-wave (cw) characteristics of narrow ridges having good beam quality and DFBs producing output in a single spectral mode. Because the threshold drive powers are far lower than those of QCLs throughout the λ = 3–6 µm spectral band, ICLs are increasingly viewed as the laser of choice for mid-IR laser spectroscopy applications that do not require high output power but need to be hand-portable and/or battery operated. Demonstrated ICL performance characteristics to date include threshold current densities as low as 106 A cm −2 at room temperature (RT), cw threshold drive powers as low as 29 mW at RT, maximum cw operating temperatures as high as 118 °C, maximum cw output powers exceeding 400 mW at RT, maximum cw wallplug efficiencies as high as 18% at RT, maximum cw single-mode output powers as high as 55 mW at RT, and single-mode output at λ = 5.2 µm with a cw drive power of only 138 mW at RT. (topical review)

Lens Coupled Quantum Cascade Laser

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Qing (Inventor); Lee, Alan Wei Min (Inventor)

2013-01-01

Terahertz quantum cascade (QC) devices are disclosed that can operate, e.g., in a range of about 1 THz to about 10 THz. In some embodiments, QC lasers are disclosed in which an optical element (e.g., a lens) is coupled to an output facet of the laser's active region to enhance coupling of the lasing radiation from the active region to an external environment. In other embodiments, terahertz amplifier and tunable terahertz QC lasers are disclosed.

Injection-locking of terahertz quantum cascade lasers up to 35GHz using RF amplitude modulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gellie, Pierre; Barbieri, Stefano; Lampin, Jean-François; Filloux, Pascal; Manquest, Christophe; Sirtori, Carlo; Sagnes, Isabelle; Khanna, Suraj P; Linfield, Edmund H; Davies, A Giles; Beere, Harvey; Ritchie, David

2010-09-27

We demonstrate that the cavity resonance frequency - the round-trip frequency - of Terahertz quantum cascade lasers can be injection-locked by direct modulation of the bias current using an RF source. Metal-metal and single-plasmon waveguide devices with roundtrip frequencies up to 35GHz have been studied, and show locking ranges above 200MHz. Inside this locking range the laser round-trip frequency is phase-locked, with a phase noise determined by the RF-synthesizer. We find a square-root dependence of the locking range with RF-power in agreement with classical injection-locking theory. These results are discussed in the context of mode-locking operation.

Planar integrated metasurfaces for highly-collimated terahertz quantum cascade lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Guozhen; Dupont, Emmanuel; Fathololoumi, Saeed; Wasilewski, Zbigniew R.; Ban, Dayan; Liang, Hou Kun; Zhang, Ying; Yu, Siu Fung; Li, Lianhe H.; Davies, Alexander Giles; Linfield, Edmund H.; Liu, Hui Chun; Wang, Qi Jie

2014-01-01

We report planar integration of tapered terahertz (THz) frequency quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) with metasurface waveguides that are designed to be spoof surface plasmon (SSP) out-couplers by introducing periodically arranged SSP scatterers. The resulting surface-emitting THz beam profile is highly collimated with a divergence as narrow as ~4° × 10°, which indicates a good waveguiding property of the metasurface waveguide. In addition, the low background THz power implies a high coupling efficiency for the THz radiation from the laser cavity to the metasurface structure. Furthermore, since all the structures are in-plane, this scheme provides a promising platform where well-established surface plasmon/metasurface techniques can be employed to engineer the emitted beam of THz QCLs controllably and flexibly. More importantly, an integrated active THz photonic circuit for sensing and communication applications could be constructed by incorporating other optoelectronic devices such as Schottky diode THz mixers, and graphene modulators and photodetectors. PMID:25403796

Diode pumped cascade Er:Y2O3 laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanamyan, T

2015-01-01

A cascade, diode-pumped, continuous wave (CW), dual-wavelength operation in a 0.5% Er 3+ :Y 2 O 3 cryogenic ceramic laser is demonstrated for the first time. The laser operates on cascaded Er ( 4 I 11/2   →   4 I 13/2   →   4 I 15/2 ) transitions and can deliver 24 and 13 W at 1.6 and 2.7 μm, respectively. The overall efficiency with respect to the absorbed ∼980 nm power was 62%. This is, to our best knowledge, the first demonstration of an efficient, high power, cascade, erbium laser achieved in bulk solid-state lasers. The analysis of the output power, the laser’s wavelengths and slope efficiency for each individual laser transition are presented for pure CW operation mode. Also presented are the temporal behaviors of each laser line as a function of pump pulse duration in the quasi-CW regime. (letter)

Ring cavity surface emitting semiconductor lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mujagic, E.

2010-01-01

Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are electrically driven semiconductor lasers, which have undergone a steady improvement since the first demonstration in 1994. These are now well established as reliable sources of coherent light in the mid-infrared (MIR) and terahertz (THz)range of the electromagnetic spectrum (3-300 μm). The rapid progress of this type of lasers is based on a high degree of freedom in tailoring the emission wavelength within a large variety of semiconductor heterostructure designs and materials. These properties have attracted the attention of various applications such as gas analysis, chemical sensing, spectral imaging and free-space telecommunication. In order to improve the selectivity, sensitivity and efficiency of today's sensor systems, high optical power, continuous wave and room temperature performance, single-mode operation and low divergence optical beams, are highly desirable qualities of a compact laser source in this field of research. Since all of these features cannot be provided by a conventional edge-emitting device at the same time, research has put focus on the development of surface emitting devices. Nowadays, the vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) are the most prominent representative for this type of light emitters. With its capability of producing narrow circular beams, the feasibility of two-dimensional arrays and on-wafer testing, such a coherent light source results in a reduction of the fabrication effort and production costs. Since the radiation in QCLs is strictly polarized normal to the epitaxial layer plane, fabrication of VCSELs based on QC structures is not viable. The subject of this work is the design and realization of 'ring cavity surface emitting lasers' (ring-CSELs). This type of lasers employs a circular ring cavity and a resonant distributed feedback (DFB) surface grating. Ring-CSELs were fabricated on the basis of MIR and THz QC structures, which cover a wavelength range from 4 μm to 93 �

Terahertz quantum cascade laser as local oscillator in a heterodyne receiver.

Science.gov (United States)

Hübers, Heinz-Wilhelm; Pavlov, S; Semenov, A; Köhler, R; Mahler, L; Tredicucci, A; Beere, H; Ritchie, D; Linfield, E

2005-07-25

Terahertz quantum cascade lasers have been investigated with respect to their performance as a local oscillator in a heterodyne receiver. The beam profile has been measured and transformed in to a close to Gaussian profile resulting in a good matching between the field patterns of the quantum cascade laser and the antenna of a superconducting hot electron bolometric mixer. Noise temperature measurements with the hot electron bolometer and a 2.5 THz quantum cascade laser yielded the same result as with a gas laser as local oscillator.

Linewidth and tuning characteristics of terahertz quantum cascade lasers.

Science.gov (United States)

Barkan, A; Tittel, F K; Mittleman, D M; Dengler, R; Siegel, P H; Scalari, G; Ajili, L; Faist, J; Beere, H E; Linfield, E H; Davies, A G; Ritchie, D A

2004-03-15

We have measured the spectral linewidths of three continuous-wave quantum cascade lasers operating at terahertz frequencies by heterodyning the free-running quantum cascade laser with two far-infrared gas lasers. Beat notes are detected with a GaAs diode mixer and a microwave spectrum analyzer, permitting very precise frequency measurements and giving instantaneous linewidths of less than -30 kHz. Characteristics are also reported for frequency tuning as the injection current is varied.

GaN-based vertical-cavity laser performance improvements using tunnel-junction-cascaded active regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piprek, Joachim

2014-01-01

This Letter investigates the output power enhancement achieved by tunnel junction insertion into the InGaN multi-quantum well (MQW) active region of a 410 nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser which enables the repeated use of carriers for light generation (carrier recycling). While the number of quantum wells remains unchanged, the tunnel junction eliminates absorption caused by the non-uniform MQW carrier distribution. The thermal resistance drops and the excess bias lead to a surprisingly small rise in self-heating.

Metallic nano-cavity lasers at near infrared wavelengths

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hill, M.T.; Stockman, M.I.

2009-01-01

There has been considerable interest in nano-cavity lasers, both from a scientific perspective for investigating fundamental properties of lasers and cavities, and also to produce smaller and better lasers for low-power applications. Light confinement on a wavelength scale has been reported in

Quantum Cascade Lasers Modulation and Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Luzhansky, Edward

The mid-wave IR (MWIR) spectral band, extending from 3 to 5 microns, is considered to be a low loss atmospheric window. There are several spectral sub-bands with relatively low atmospheric attenuation in this region making it popular for various commercial and military applications. Relatively low thermal and solar background emissions, effective penetration through the natural and anthropogenic obscurants and eye safety add to the long list of advantages of MWIR wavelengths. Quantum Cascade Lasers are compact semiconductor devices capable of operating in MWIR spectrum. They are based on inter-subband transitions in a multiple-quantum-well (QW) hetero-structure, designed by means of band-structure engineering. The inter-subband nature of the optical transition has several key advantages. First, the emission wavelength is primarily a function of the QW thickness. This characteristic allows choosing well-understood and reliable semiconductors for the generation of light in a wavelength range of interest. Second, a cascade process in which tens of photons are generated per injected electron. This cascading process is behind the intrinsic high-power capabilities of QCLs. This dissertation is focused on modulation properties of Quantum Cascade Lasers. Both amplitude and phase/frequency modulations were studied including modulation bandwidth, modulation efficiency and chirp linearity. Research was consisted of the two major parts. In the first part we describe the theory of frequency modulation (FM) response of Distributed Feedback Quantum Cascade Lasers (DFB QCL). It includes cascading effect on the QCL's maximum modulation frequency. The "gain levering" effect for the maximum FM response of the two section QCLs was studied as well. In the second part of research we concentrated on the Pulse Position Amplitude Modulation of a single section QCL. The low complexity, low size, weight and power Mid-Wavelength Infra-Red optical communications transceiver concept is

Stable Single-Mode Operation of Distributed Feedback Quantum Cascade Laser by Optimized Reflectivity Facet Coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dong-Bo; Zhang, Jin-Chuan; Cheng, Feng-Min; Zhao, Yue; Zhuo, Ning; Zhai, Shen-Qiang; Wang, Li-Jun; Liu, Jun-Qi; Liu, Shu-Man; Liu, Feng-Qi; Wang, Zhan-Guo

2018-02-01

In this work, quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) based on strain compensation combined with two-phonon resonance design are presented. Distributed feedback (DFB) laser emitting at 4.76 μm was fabricated through a standard buried first-order grating and buried heterostructure (BH) processing. Stable single-mode emission is achieved under all injection currents and temperature conditions without any mode hop by the optimized antireflection (AR) coating on the front facet. The AR coating consists of a double layer dielectric of Al2O3 and Ge. For a 2-mm laser cavity, the maximum output power of the AR-coated DFB-QCL was more than 170 mW at 20 °C with a high wall-plug efficiency (WPE) of 4.7% in a continuous-wave (CW) mode.

Cascaded-cavity Fabry-Perot interferometer for simultaneous measurement of temperature and strain with cross-sensitivity compensation

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Jiajun; Jiao, Yuzhu; Ji, Shaobo; Dong, Xiaolong; Yao, Yong

2018-04-01

We propose and demonstrate a fiber sensor for simultaneous temperature and strain measurements. The proposed sensor is implemented by a cascaded-cavity Fabry-Perot (FP) fiber interferometer. The two cascaded FP cavities comprise a micro-air-cavity in a hollow-core tube fiber and a micro-silica-cavity in a standard single-mode fiber. To separate the interference spectrum of each FP cavity, the total spectrum is filtered in the frequency domain through band-pass filters, whose central frequencies were predesigned based on the relationship between the spatial frequency and free spectral range of each FP cavity. The different cross-sectional areas and thermal-optic coefficients of the two FP cavities confer different sensitivities to temperature and strain. Both parameters were measured simultaneously by tracking the wavelength shifts in the filtered interference spectra of the FP cavities. Moreover, the temperature-strain cross-sensitivity was compensated by solving a sensitivity-coefficient matrix equation for the two cavities, using the calibrated temperatures and strains. Other advantages of the proposed sensor are simple fabrication and an all-fiber structure. Owing to these properties, the proposed sensor is potentially applicable to real sensing applications.

Cavity Ring-down Spectroscopic System And Method

KAUST Repository

Alquaity, Awad Bin Saud

2015-05-14

A system and method for cavity ring-down spectroscopy can include a pulsed quantum cascade laser, an optical ring-down cavity, a photodetector, and an oscilloscope. The system and method can produce pulse widths of less than 200 ns with bandwidths greater than 300 pm, as well as provide temporal resolution of greater than 10 .mu.s.

Cavity Ring-down Spectroscopic System And Method

KAUST Repository

Alquaity, Awad Bin Saud; Farooq, Aamir

2015-01-01

A system and method for cavity ring-down spectroscopy can include a pulsed quantum cascade laser, an optical ring-down cavity, a photodetector, and an oscilloscope. The system and method can produce pulse widths of less than 200 ns with bandwidths greater than 300 pm, as well as provide temporal resolution of greater than 10 .mu.s.

Frequency stabilization of quantum cascade laser for spectroscopic CO2 isotope analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Luo; Xia, Hua; Pang, Tao; Zhang, Zhirong; Wu, Bian; Liu, Shuo; Sun, Pengshuai; Cui, Xiaojuan; Wang, Yu; Sigrist, Markus W.; Dong, Fengzhong

2018-06-01

Using off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy, named OA-ICOS, the absorption spectrum of CO2 at 4.32 μm is recorded by using a quantum cascade laser (QCL). The concentration of the three isotopologues 16O12C16O, 16O13C16O and 16O12C18O is detected simultaneously. The isotope abundance ratio of 13C and 18O in CO2 gas can be obtained, which is most useful for ecological research. Since the ambient temperature has a serious influence on the output wavelength of the laser, even small temperature variations seriously affect the stability and sensitivity of the system. In this paper, a wavelength locking technique for QCL is proposed. The output of a digital potentiometer integrated in the laser current driver control is modified by software, resulting in a correction of the driving current of the laser and thus of its wavelength. This method strongly reduces the influence of external factors on the wavelength drift of lasers and thus substantially improves the stability and performance of OA-ICOS as is demonstrated with long-time measurements on CO2 in laboratory air.

Vertical cavity laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2016-01-01

The present invention provides a vertical cavity laser comprising a grating layer comprising an in-plane grating, the grating layer having a first side and having a second side opposite the first side and comprising a contiguous core grating region having a grating structure, wherein an index...

Mathematical model governing laser-produced dental cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Yilbas, Bekir S.; Karatoy, M.; Yilbas, Z.; Karakas, Eyup S.; Bilge, A.; Ustunbas, Hasan B.; Ceyhan, O.

1990-06-01

Formation of dental cavity may be improved by using a laser beam. This provides nonmechanical contact, precise location of cavity, rapid processing and increased hygienity. Further examination of interaction mechanism is needed to improve the application of lasers in density. Present study examines the tenperature rise and thermal stress development in the enamel during Nd YAG laser irradiation. It is found that the stresses developed in the enamel is not sufficiently high enough to cause crack developed in the enamel.

Coupled Photonic Crystal Cavity Array Laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schubert, Martin

in the quadratic lattice. Processing techniques are developed and optimized in order fabricate photonic crystals membranes in gallium arsenide with quantum dots as gain medium and in indium gallium arsenide phosphide with quantum wells as gain medium. Several key issues in process to ensure good quality....... The results are in good agreement with standard coupled mode theory. Also a novel type of photonic crystal structure is proposed called lambda shifted cavity which is a twodimensional photonic crystal laser analog of a VCSEL laser. Detailed measurements of the coupled modes in the photonic crystals...... with quantum dots are carried out. In agreement with a simple gain model the structures do not show stimulated emission. The spectral splitting due to the coupling between single cavities as well as arrays of cavities is studied theoretically and experimentally. Lasing is observed for photonic crystal cavity...

Applying Quantum Cascade Laser Spectroscopy in Plasma Diagnostics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jürgen Röpcke

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The considerably higher power and wider frequency coverage available from quantum cascade lasers (QCLs in comparison to lead salt diode lasers has led to substantial advances when QCLs are used in pure and applied infrared spectroscopy. Furthermore, they can be used in both pulsed and continuous wave (cw operation, opening up new possibilities in quantitative time resolved applications in plasmas both in the laboratory and in industry as shown in this article. However, in order to determine absolute concentrations accurately using pulsed QCLs, careful attention has to be paid to features like power saturation phenomena. Hence, we begin with a discussion of the non-linear effects which must be considered when using short or long pulse mode operation. More recently, cw QCLs have been introduced which have the advantage of higher power, better spectral resolution and lower fluctuations in light intensity compared to pulsed devices. They have proved particularly useful in sensing applications in plasmas when very low concentrations have to be monitored. Finally, the use of cw external cavity QCLs (EC-QCLs for multi species detection is described, using a diagnostics study of a methane/nitrogen plasma as an example. The wide frequency coverage of this type of QCL laser, which is significantly broader than from a distributed feedback QCL (DFB-QCL, is a substantial advantage for multi species detection. Therefore, cw EC-QCLs are state of the art devices and have enormous potential for future plasma diagnostic studies.

Intra-pulse Cavity Enhanced Measurements of Carbon Monoxide in a Rapid Compression Machine

KAUST Repository

Nasir, Ehson Fawad

2018-05-07

A laser absorption sensor for carbon monoxide concentration was developed for combustion studies in a rapid compression machine using a pulsed quantum cascade laser near 4.89 μm. Cavity enhancement reduced minimum detection limit down to 2.4 ppm at combustion relevant conditions. Off-axis alignment and rapid intra-pulse down-chirp resulted in effective suppression of cavity noise.

High-Speed Operation of Interband Cascade Lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Soibel, Alexander; Hill, Cory J.; Keo, Sam A.; Wright, Malcom W.; Farr, William H.; Yang, Rui Q.; Liu, H. C.

2010-01-01

Optical sources operating in the atmospheric window of 3-5 microns are of particular interest for the development of free-space optical communication link. It is more advantageous to operate the free-space optical communication link in 3-5-microns atmospheric transmission window than at the telecom wavelength of 1.5 m due to lower optical scattering, scintillation, and background radiation. However, the realization of optical communications at the longer wavelength has encountered significant difficulties due to lack of adequate optical sources and detectors operating in the desirable wavelength regions. Interband Cascade (IC) lasers are novel semiconductor lasers that have a great potential for the realization of high-power, room-temperature optical sources in the 3-5-microns wavelength region, yet no experimental work, until this one, was done on high-speed direct modulation of IC lasers. Here, highspeed interband cascade laser, operating at wavelength 3.0 m, has been developed and the first direct measurement of the laser modulation bandwidth has been performed using a unique, highspeed quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP). The developed laser has modulation bandwidth exceeding 3 GHz. This constitutes a significant increase of the IC laser modulation bandwidth over currently existing devices. This result has demonstrated suitability of IC lasers as a mid-IR light source for multi-GHz free-space optical communications links

Dark states and interferences in cascade transitions of ultracold atoms in a cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arun, R.; Agarwal, G.S.

2002-01-01

We examine the competition among one- and two-photon processes in an ultracold, three-level atom undergoing cascade transitions as a result of its interaction with a bimodal cavity. We show parameter domains where two-photon transitions are dominant, and we also study the effect of two-photon emission on the mazer action in the cavity. The two-photon emission leads to the loss of detailed balance and therefore we obtain the photon statistics of the cavity field by the numerical integration of the master equation. The photon distribution in each cavity mode exhibits sub- and super-Poissonian behaviors depending on the strength of atom-field coupling. The photon distribution becomes identical to a Poisson distribution when the atom-field coupling strengths of the modes are equal

Novel High Power Type-I Quantum Well Cascade Diode Lasers

Science.gov (United States)

2017-08-30

Novel High Power Type-I Quantum Well Cascade Diode Lasers The views, opinions and/or findings contained in this report are those of the author(s...SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 12. DISTRIBUTION AVAILIBILITY STATEMENT 6... High Power Type-I Quantum Well Cascade Diode Lasers Report Term: 0-Other Email: leon.shterengas@stonybrook.edu Distribution Statement: 1-Approved

Intra-pulse Cavity Enhanced Measurements of Carbon Monoxide in a Rapid Compression Machine

KAUST Repository

Nasir, Ehson Fawad; Farooq, Aamir

2018-01-01

A laser absorption sensor for carbon monoxide concentration was developed for combustion studies in a rapid compression machine using a pulsed quantum cascade laser near 4.89 μm. Cavity enhancement reduced minimum detection limit down to 2.4 ppm

Design strategy for terahertz quantum dot cascade lasers.

Science.gov (United States)

Burnett, Benjamin A; Williams, Benjamin S

2016-10-31

The development of quantum dot cascade lasers has been proposed as a path to obtain terahertz semiconductor lasers that operate at room temperature. The expected benefit is due to the suppression of nonradiative electron-phonon scattering and reduced dephasing that accompanies discretization of the electronic energy spectrum. We present numerical modeling which predicts that simple scaling of conventional quantum well based designs to the quantum dot regime will likely fail due to electrical instability associated with high-field domain formation. A design strategy adapted for terahertz quantum dot cascade lasers is presented which avoids these problems. Counterintuitively, this involves the resonant depopulation of the laser's upper state with the LO-phonon energy. The strategy is tested theoretically using a density matrix model of transport and gain, which predicts sufficient gain for lasing at stable operating points. Finally, the effect of quantum dot size inhomogeneity on the optical lineshape is explored, suggesting that the design concept is robust to a moderate amount of statistical variation.

A hybrid plasmonic waveguide terahertz quantum cascade laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Degl' Innocenti, Riccardo, E-mail: rd448@cam.ac.uk; Shah, Yash D.; Wallis, Robert; Klimont, Adam; Ren, Yuan; Jessop, David S.; Beere, Harvey E.; Ritchie, David A. [Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE (United Kingdom)

2015-02-23

We present the realization of a quantum cascade laser emitting at around 2.85 THz, based on a hybrid plasmonic waveguide with a low refractive index dielectric cladding. This hybrid waveguide design allows the performance of a double-metal waveguide to be retained, while improving the emission far-field. A set of lasers based on the same active region material were fabricated with different metal layer thicknesses. A detailed characterization of the performance of these lasers revealed that there is an optimal trade-off that yields the best far-field emission and the maximum temperature of operation. By exploiting the pure plasmonic mode of these waveguides, the standard operation conditions of a double-metal quantum cascade laser were retrieved, such that the maximum operating temperature of these devices is not affected by the process. These results pave the way to realizing a class of integrated devices working in the terahertz range which could be further exploited to fabricate terahertz on-chip circuitry.

Intra-cavity decomposition of a dual-directional laser beam

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Naidoo, Darryl

2011-01-01

Full Text Available A method of decomposing a dual-directional laser beam into a forward propagating field and a backward propagating field for an apertured plano-concave cavity is presented. An intra-cavity aperture is a simple method of laser beam shaping as higher...

High Quality Plasmonic Sensors Based on Fano Resonances Created through Cascading Double Asymmetric Cavities.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiangao; Shao, Mingzhen; Zeng, Xiaoqi

2016-10-18

In this paper, a type of compact nanosensor based on a metal-insulator-metal structure is proposed and investigated through cascading double asymmetric cavities, in which their metal cores shift along different axis directions. The cascaded asymmetric structure exhibits high transmission and sharp Fano resonance peaks via strengthening the mutual coupling of the cavities. The research results show that with the increase of the symmetry breaking in the structure, the number of Fano resonances increase accordingly. Furthermore, by modulating the geometrical parameters appropriately, Fano resonances with high sensitivities to the changes in refractive index can be realized. A maximum figure of merit (FoM) value of 74.3 is obtained. Considerable applications for this work can be found in bio/chemical sensors with excellent performance and other nanophotonic integrated circuit devices such as optical filters, switches and modulators.

High Quality Plasmonic Sensors Based on Fano Resonances Created through Cascading Double Asymmetric Cavities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiangao Zhang

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a type of compact nanosensor based on a metal-insulator-metal structure is proposed and investigated through cascading double asymmetric cavities, in which their metal cores shift along different axis directions. The cascaded asymmetric structure exhibits high transmission and sharp Fano resonance peaks via strengthening the mutual coupling of the cavities. The research results show that with the increase of the symmetry breaking in the structure, the number of Fano resonances increase accordingly. Furthermore, by modulating the geometrical parameters appropriately, Fano resonances with high sensitivities to the changes in refractive index can be realized. A maximum figure of merit (FoM value of 74.3 is obtained. Considerable applications for this work can be found in bio/chemical sensors with excellent performance and other nanophotonic integrated circuit devices such as optical filters, switches and modulators.

Applications of quantum cascade lasers in plasma diagnostics: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Röpcke, J; Lang, N; Davies, P B; Rousseau, A; Welzel, S

2012-01-01

Over the past few years mid-infrared absorption spectroscopy based on quantum cascade lasers operating over the region from 3 to 12 µm and called quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy or QCLAS has progressed considerably as a powerful diagnostic technique for in situ studies of the fundamental physics and chemistry of molecular plasmas. The increasing interest in processing plasmas containing hydrocarbons, fluorocarbons, nitrogen oxides and organo-silicon compounds has led to further applications of QCLAS because most of these compounds and their decomposition products are infrared active. QCLAS provides a means of determining the absolute concentrations of the ground states of stable and transient molecular species at time resolutions below a microsecond, which is of particular importance for the investigation of reaction kinetics and dynamics. Information about gas temperature and population densities can also be derived from QCLAS measurements. Since plasmas with molecular feed gases are used in many applications such as thin film deposition, semiconductor processing, surface activation and cleaning, and materials and waste treatment, this has stimulated the adaptation of QCLAS techniques to industrial requirements including the development of new diagnostic equipment. The recent availability of external cavity (EC) QCLs offers a further new option for multi-component detection. The aim of this paper is fourfold: (i) to briefly review spectroscopic issues arising from applying pulsed QCLs, (ii) to report on recent achievements in our understanding of molecular phenomena in plasmas and at surfaces, (iii) to describe the current status of industrial process monitoring in the mid-infrared and (iv) to discuss the potential of advanced instrumentation based on EC-QCLs for plasma diagnostics. (topical review)

Exploring Broad Area Quantum Cascade Lasers

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-01

Strong current spreading: Trenches etched deeper than the active region. Minimal current spreading: Laser cavity defined by the electrical contact ...refractive index Θ: the angle measured within the cavity. x θ High-Order Transverse Modes 7 Approved for public release. Distribution is...through image. 10 Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 -50-40-30-20-10 0 10 20 30 40 50 Angle (degrees) De vic e

Mid-infrared quantum cascade laser spectroscopy probing of the ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Aparajeo Chattopadhyay

2018-05-07

May 7, 2018 ... cm3 molecule. −1 s. −1 ... Quantum cascade laser; time-resolved mid-infrared spectroscopy; transient absorption; peroxy radicals .... peak of the laser emission profile. .... cal with O2 is a termolecular reaction (Eq. 3) and the.

Estimating optical feedback from a chalcogenide fiber in mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Jumpertz

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The amount of optical feedback originating from a chalcogenide fiber used to couple light from a mid-infrared quantum cascade laser is evaluated experimentally. Threshold reduction measurements on the fibered laser, combined with an analytical study of a rate equations model of the laser under optical feedback, allow estimating the feedback strength between 11% and 15% depending on the fiber cleavage quality. While this remains below the frontier of the chaotic regime, it is sufficient to deeply modify the optical spectrum of a quantum cascade laser. Hence for applications such as gas spectroscopy, where the shape of the optical spectrum is of prime importance, the use of mid-infrared optical isolators may be necessary for fibered quantum cascade lasers to be fully exploited.

Study of optical confinement of quantum cascade lasers and applications to detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moreau, Virginie

2008-01-01

Quantum cascade lasers have been invented in 1994 and they have already established themselves as the semiconductor laser source of choice in the mid- and far-infrared ranges of the electromagnetic spectrum. As most molecules of chemical interest exhibit roto-vibrational transitions in these spectral ranges, quantum cascade lasers are especially suited for applications such as spectroscopy, trace gas detection or medical imaging. One of the current leading research axis targets the device optimization and miniaturization, with possible applications in detection microsystems. This PhD thesis work focused on the study and optimization of the vertical optical confinement in quantum cascade lasers featuring optical waveguides without top cladding layers. These structures are interesting because they are compatible with two different guiding mechanisms at the same time, i.e. surface-plasmons and air confinement. The study of the characteristics of the optical mode and of the electrical current dispersion allowed us to conceive original structures which open new perspectives, for instance in the domain of analytic detection in a fluidic environment. Furthermore, we have shown that the observation by near field microscopy is a powerful tool to characterize and understand quantum cascade lasers. Finally, we have laid the foundations for the optimization of miniaturized arrays of single-mode lasers based on photonic crystal technology. (author) [fr

A laser-powered hydrokinetic system for caries removal and cavity preparation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hadley, J; Young, D A; Eversole, L R; Gornbein, J A

2000-06-01

Laser systems have been developed for the cutting of dental hard tissues. The erbium, chromium:yttrium-scandium-gallium-garnet, or Er,Cr:YSGG, laser system used in conjunction with an air-water spray has been shown to be efficacious in vitro for cavity preparation. The authors randomly selected subjects for cavity preparation with conventional air turbine/bur dental surgery or an Er,Cr:YSGG laser-powered system using a split-mouth design. They prepared Class I, III and V cavities, placed resin restorations and evaluated subjects on the day of the procedure and 30 days and six months postoperatively for pulp vitality, recurrent caries, pain and discomfort, and restoration retention. Sixty-seven subjects completed the study. There were no statistical differences between the two treatment groups for the parameters measured with one exception; there was a statistically significant decrease in discomfort levels for the laser system at the time of cavity preparation for subjects who declined to receive local anesthetic. The Er,Cr:YSGG laser system is effective for preparation of Class I, III and V cavities and resin restorations are retained by lased tooth surfaces. Hard-tissue cutting lasers are being introduced for use in operative dentistry. In this study, an Er,Cr:YSGG laser has been shown to be effective for cavity preparation and restoration replacement.

High stable electro-optical cavity-dumped Nd:YAG laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, Y F; Yu, X; Zhang, J W; Li, H

2012-01-01

In this paper, an electro-optical cavity-dumped 10 Hz Nd:Y 3 Al 5 O 12 (Nd:YAG) laser was demonstrated. We designed an optimized high stable concavo-convex cavity according to the thermal-insensitive theory that the cavity could be deep stable and be insensitive to the change of thermal lens of laser crystal when g 1 *g 2 = 1/2. The output pulse width was constant at 6.0±0.1 ns. The maximum output energy was 40 mJ. The laser had outstanding stability of output characteristics. The fluctuations of average output energy and divergence angle within 8 cycles were 1.24% and 0.06 mrad, respectively

Quantum cascade lasers as metrological tools for space optics

Science.gov (United States)

Bartalini, S.; Borri, S.; Galli, I.; Mazzotti, D.; Cancio Pastor, P.; Giusfredi, G.; De Natale, P.

2017-11-01

A distributed-feedback quantum-cascade laser working in the 4.3÷4.4 mm range has been frequency stabilized to the Lamb-dip center of a CO2 ro-vibrational transition by means of first-derivative locking to the saturated absorption signal, and its absolute frequency counted with a kHz-level precision and an overall uncertainty of 75 kHz. This has been made possible by an optical link between the QCL and a near-IR Optical Frequency Comb Synthesizer, thanks to a non-linear sum-frequency generation process with a fiber-amplified Nd:YAG laser. The implementation of a new spectroscopic technique, known as polarization spectroscopy, provides an improved signal for the locking loop, and will lead to a narrower laser emission and a drastic improvement in the frequency stability, that in principle is limited only by the stability of the optical frequency comb synthesizer (few parts in 1013). These results confirm quantum cascade lasers as reliable sources not only for high-sensitivity, but also for highprecision measurements, ranking them as optimal laser sources for space applications.

Anticipated chaos in a nonsymmetric coupled external-cavity-laser system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rees, Paul; Spencer, Paul S.; Pierce, Iestyn; Sivaprakasam, S.; Shore, K. Alan

2003-01-01

We explain how the anticipation of chaos in a coupled external cavity laser system described by Sivaprakasam, Shahverdiev, Spencer, and Shore [Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 154101 (2001)] is obtained. We show that the external cavity induces the required symmetry breaking necessary for the existence of a time delay between the synchronized output of the two laser diodes. The inclusion of a detuning between the two lasers causes one laser to anticipate the chaotic dynamics of the other

Manipulating the wavelength-drift of a Tm laser for resonance enhancement in an intra-cavity pumped Ho laser.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Haizhou; Huang, Jianhong; Liu, Huagang; Li, Jinhui; Lin, Zixiong; Ge, Yan; Dai, Shutao; Deng, Jing; Lin, Wenxiong

2018-03-05

We demonstrate an enhancement mechanism and thermal model for intra-cavity pumped lasers, where resonance enhancement in intra-cavity pumped Ho laser was achieved by manipulating the wavelength-drift nature of the Tm laser for the first time. Optical conversion efficiency of 37.5% from an absorbed 785 nm diode laser to a Ho laser was obtained with a maximum output power of 7.51 W at 2122 nm, which is comparable to the conversion efficiency in 1.9 μm LD pumped Ho lasers. Meanwhile, more severe thermal effects in the Ho-doped gain medium than the Tm-doped one at high power operation were verified based on the built thermal model. This work benefits the design or evaluation of intra-cavity pumped lasers, and the resonance enhancement originated from the difference in reabsorption loss between stark levels at the lasing manifolds of quasi-three-level rare-earth ions has great interest to improve the existing intra-cavity pumped lasers or explore novel lasers.

Bistable output from a coupled-resonator vertical-cavity laser diode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, A. J.; Choquette, K. D.; Chow, W. W.; Allerman, A. A.; Geib, K.

2000-01-01

We report a monolithic coupled-resonator vertical-cavity laser with an ion-implanted top cavity and a selectively oxidized bottom cavity which exhibits bistable behavior in the light output versus injection current. Large bistability regions over current ranges as wide as 18 mA have been observed with on/off contrast ratios of greater than 20 dB. The position and width of the bistability region can be varied by changing the bias to the top cavity. Switching between on and off states can be accomplished with changes as small as 250 μW to the electrical power applied to the top cavity. The bistable behavior is the response of the nonlinear susceptibility in the top cavity to the changes in the bottom intracavity laser intensity as the bottom cavity reaches the thermal rollover point

Freedom from band-gap slavery: from diode lasers to quantum cascade lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Capasso, Federico

2010-02-01

Semiconductor heterostructure lasers, for which Alferov and Kromer received part of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2000, are the workhorse of technologies such as optical communications, optical recording, supermarket scanners, laser printers and fax machines. They exhibit high performance in the visible and near infrared and rely for their operation on electrons and holes emitting photons across the semiconductor bandgap. This mechanism turns into a curse at longer wavelengths (mid-infrared) because as the bandgap, shrinks laser operation becomes much more sensitive to temperature, material defects and processing. Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL), invented in 1994, rely on a radically different process for light emission. QCLs are unipolar devices in which electrons undergo transitions between quantum well energy levels and are recycled through many stages emitting a cascade of photons. Thus by suitable tailoring of the layers' thickness, using the same heterostructure material, they can lase across the molecular fingerprint region from 3 to 25 microns and beyond into the far-infrared and submillimiter wave spectrum. High power cw room temperature QCLs and QCLs with large continuous single mode tuning range have found many applications (infrared countermeasures, spectroscopy, trace gas analysis and atmospheric chemistry) and are commercially available. )

Regenerative similariton laser

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thibault North

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Self-pulsating lasers based on cascaded reshaping and reamplification (2R are capable of initiating ultrashort pulses despite the accumulation of large amounts of nonlinearities in all-fiber resonators. The spectral properties of pulses in self-similar propagation are compatible with cascaded 2R regeneration by offset filtering, making parabolic pulses suitable for the design of a laser of this recently introduced class. A new type of regenerative laser giving birth to similaritons is numerically investigated and shows that this laser is the analog of regenerative sources based solely on self-phase modulation and offset filtering. The regenerative similariton laser does not suffer from instabilities due to excessive nonlinearities and enables ultrashort pulse generation in a simple cavity configuration.

Continuously tunable pulsed Ti:Sa laser self-seeded by an extended grating cavity

CERN Document Server

Li, Ruohong; Rothe, Sebastian; Teigelhöfer, Andrea; Mostamand, Maryam

2016-01-01

A continuously tunable titanium:sapphire (Ti:Sa) laser self-seeded by an extended grating cavity was demonstrated and characterized. By inserting a partially reflecting mirror inside the cavity of a classic single-cavity grating laser, two oscillators are created: a broadband power oscillator, and a narrowband oscillator with a prism beam expander and a diffraction grating in Littrow configuration. By coupling the grating cavity oscillation into the power oscillator, a power-enhanced narrow-linewidth laser oscillation is achieved. Compared to the classic grating laser, this simple modification significantly increases the laser output power without considerably broadening the linewidth. With most of the oscillating laser power confined inside the broadband power cavity and lower power incident onto the grating, the new configuration also allows higher pump power, which is typically limited by the thermal deformation of the grating coating at high oscillation power.

Experimental investigation of terahertz quantum cascade laser with variable barrier heights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Aiting; Vijayraghavan, Karun; Belkin, Mikhail A., E-mail: mbelkin@ece.utexas.edu [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78758 (United States); Matyas, Alpar; Jirauschek, Christian [Institute for Nanoelectronics, Technische Universität München, D-80333 Munich (Germany); Wasilewski, Zbig R. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G (Canada)

2014-04-28

We report an experimental study of terahertz quantum cascade lasers with variable barrier heights based on the Al{sub x}Ga{sub 1–x}As/GaAs material system. Two new designs are developed based on semiclassical ensemble Monte Carlo simulations using state-of-the-art Al{sub 0.15}Ga{sub 0.85}As/GaAs three-quantum-well resonant phonon depopulation active region design as a reference. The new designs achieved maximum lasing temperatures of 188 K and 172 K, as compared to the maximum lasing temperature of 191 K for the reference structure. These results demonstrate that terahertz quantum cascade laser designs with variable barrier heights provide a viable alternative to the traditional active region designs with fixed barrier composition. Additional design space offered by using variable barriers may lead to future improvements in the terahertz quantum cascade laser performance.

Fast gas spectroscopy using pulsed quantum cascade lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Beyer, T.; Braun, M.; Lambrecht, A.

2003-03-01

Laser spectroscopy has found many industrial applications, e.g., control of automotive exhaust and process monitoring. The midinfrared region is of special interest because it has stronger absorption lines compared to the near infrared (NIR). However, in the NIR high quality reliable laser sources, detectors, and passive optical components are available. A quantum cascade laser could change this situation if fundamental advantages can be exploited with compact and reliable systems. It will be shown that, using pulsed lasers and available fast detectors, lower residual sensitivity levels than in corresponding NIR systems can be achieved. The stability is sufficient for industrial applications.

Theory of superfluorescence-laser crossover in a cavity QED system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sezaki, Riku; Ishikawa, Akira; Kobayashi, Kiyoshi [University of Yamanashi, Department of Science for Advanced Materials, Kofu, Yamanashi (Japan); Miyajima, Kensuke [Tokyo University of Science, Department of Applied Physics, Tokyo (Japan)

2017-11-15

Coherent emissions of photons, originating from coherently-coupled polarizations, are created by laser and superfluorescence, but the mechanisms remain obscure to be fully explored in nanophotonics from the application viewpoint to coherent-light sources. In this paper, we present a comprehensive full quantum theory to clarify the crossover between laser and superfluorescence caused by the competition between stimulated and spontaneous emissions in a cavity QED system. As a result, in case of steady-state emission, we show the feasibility of coherent-light emission by superfluorescence different from laser, depending on the quality factor of a cavity QED system. In particular, the coherence generation due to superfluorescence occurs in a shorter timescale in a cavity QED systems with a lower Q factor than laser due to stimulated emission. This result suggests that superfluorescence can be applied to a novel coherent-light source by a mechanism greatly different from laser. (orig.)

Cascade Pumping of 1.9–3.3 μm Type-I Quantum Well GaSb-Based Diode Lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shterengas, Leon; Kipshidze, Gela; Hosoda, Takashi; Liang, Rui; Feng, Tao

2017-01-01

Cascade pumping of type-I quantum well gain sections was utilized to increase output power and efficiency of GaSb-based diode lasers operating in spectral region from 1.9 to 3.3 μm. Coated devices with ~100-μm-wide aperture and 3-mm-long cavity demonstrated continuous wave (CW) output power of 1.96 W near 2 μm, 980 mW near 3 μm, 500 mW near 3.18 μm, and 360 mW near 3.25 μm at room temperature. The corresponding narrow ridge lasers with nearly diffraction limited beams operate in CW regime with tens of mW of output power up to 60 °C. Two step shallow/deep narrow/wide ridge waveguide devices showed lower threshold currents and higher slope efficiencies compared to single step narrow ridge lasers. Laterally coupled DFB lasers mounted epi-up generated above 10 mW of tunable single frequency CW power at 20 °C near 3.22 μm.

Spectral properties of a broad-area diode laser with off-axis external-cavity feedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chi, Mingjun; Petersen, Paul Michael

2013-01-01

Spectral properties, both the optical spectrum and the intensity noise spectrum, of a broad-area diode laser with off-axis external-cavity feedback are presented. We show that the optical spectrum of the diode laser system is shifted to longer wavelengths due to the external-cavity feedback....... The intensity noise spectrum of the diode laser shows that the intensity noise is increased strongly by the external-cavity feedback. External-cavity modes are excited in the external cavity even in the off-axis configuration. The peak spacing of the intensity noise spectrum shows that single roundtrip external......-cavity modes are excited. We believe that the four-wave mixing process in the broad-area diode laser is responsible for the establishment of the external-cavity mode....

Lithographic wavelength control of an external cavity laser with a silicon photonic crystal cavity-based resonant reflector.

Science.gov (United States)

Liles, Alexandros A; Debnath, Kapil; O'Faolain, Liam

2016-03-01

We report the experimental demonstration of a new design for external cavity hybrid lasers consisting of a III-V semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) with fiber reflector and a photonic crystal (PhC)-based resonant reflector on SOI. The silicon reflector is composed of an SU8 polymer bus waveguide vertically coupled to a PhC cavity and provides a wavelength-selective optical feedback to the laser cavity. This device exhibits milliwatt-level output power and side-mode suppression ratios of more than 25 dB.

A compact narrow-linewidth laser with a low-Q monolithic cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peng, Yu

2013-01-01

We demonstrate an approach to narrowing the linewidth of a diode laser to around 15×10 3 Hz with a compact setup of confocal and parallel monolithic Fabry–Perot cavities (MFCs). Resonances of the confocal and parallel MFCs with low finesse are obtained. Diode lasers with optical feedback from confocal and parallel monolithic MFCs are demonstrated. The frequency could be tuned 80×10 6 Hz by changing the grating position of the external cavity diode laser based on the confocal MFC, and 100×10 6 Hz by tuning the temperature of the plane MFC over 0.02 ° C for the external cavity diode laser based on the parallel MFC. (paper)

Dynamics of a broad-band quantum cascade laser: from chaos to coherent dynamics and mode-locking

Science.gov (United States)

Columbo, L. L.; Barbieri, S.; Sirtori, C.; Brambilla, M.

2018-02-01

The dynamics of a multimode Quantum Cascade Laser, is studied in a model based on effective semiconductor Maxwell-Bloch equations, encompassing key features for the radiationmedium interaction such as an asymmetric, frequency dependent, gain and refractive index as well as the phase-amplitude coupling provided by the Henry factor. By considering the role of the free spectral range and Henry factor, we develop criteria suitable to identify the conditions which allow to destabilize, close to threshold, the traveling wave emitted by the laser and lead to chaotic or regular multimode dynamics. In the latter case our simulations show that the field oscillations are associated to self-confined structures which travel along the laser cavity, bridging mode-locking and solitary wave propagation. In addition, we show how a RF modulation of the bias current leads to active mode-locking yielding high-contrast, picosecond pulses. Our results compare well with recent experiments on broad-band THz-QCLs and may help understanding the conditions for the generation of ultrashort pulses and comb operation in Mid-IR and THz spectral regions

Chirped laser dispersion spectroscopy using a directly modulated quantum cascade laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hangauer, Andreas; Nikodem, Michal; Wysocki, Gerard; Spinner, Georg

2013-01-01

Chirped laser dispersion spectroscopy (CLaDS) utilizing direct modulation of a quantum cascade laser (QCL) is presented. By controlling the laser bias nearly single- and dual-sideband CLaDS operation can be realized in an extremely simplified optical setup with no external optical modulators. Capability of direct single-sideband modulation is a unique feature of QCLs that exhibit a low linewidth enhancement factor. The developed analytical model shows excellent agreement with the experimental, directly modulated CLaDS spectra. This method overcomes major technical limitations of mid-infrared CLaDS systems by allowing significantly higher modulation frequencies and eliminating optical fringes introduced by external modulators

A diode-pumped Tm:YAG laser with an elliptical cavity mode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lipnicki, E.; Dawes, J.M.; Browne, P.G.

2000-01-01

Full text: A cavity consisting of cylindrical mirrors/lenses resulting in an elliptical cavity mode is being applied to a 3-level laser; Tm:YAG which lases near 2μm. This arrangement allows the use of simple pump beam optics but also ensures efficient mode matching with good output beam quality. This cavity has been designed and modelled with experiments under way to explore the advantages of this laser design

Room-temperature operation of quantum cascade lasers at a wavelength of 5.8 μm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Babichev, A. V. [Connector Optics LLC (Russian Federation); Bousseksou, A. [University Paris Saclay, Institut d’Electronique Fondamentale, UMR 8622 CNRS (France); Pikhtin, N. A.; Tarasov, I. S. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Ioffe Physical–Technical Institute (Russian Federation); Nikitina, E. V. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg Academic University—Nanotechnology Research and Education Center (Russian Federation); Sofronov, A. N.; Firsov, D. A.; Vorobjev, L. E. [Peter-the-Great Saint-Petersburg Polytechnic University (Russian Federation); Novikov, I. I.; Karachinsky, L. Ya.; Egorov, A. Yu., E-mail: anton.egorov@connector-optics.com [Connector Optics LLC (Russian Federation)

2016-10-15

The room-temperature generation of multiperiod quantum-cascade lasers (QCL) at a wavelength of 5.8 μm in the pulsed mode is demonstrated. The heterostructure of a quantum-cascade laser based on a heterojunction of InGaAs/InAlAs alloys is grown by molecular-beam epitaxy and incorporates 60 identical cascades. The threshold current density of the stripe laser 1.4 mm long and 22 μm wide is ~4.8 kA/cm{sup 2} at a temperature of 303 K. The maximum power of the optical-radiation output from one QCL face, recorded by a detector, is 88 mW. The actual optical-power output from one QCL face is no less than 150 mW. The results obtained and possible ways of optimizing the structure of the developed quantum-cascade lasers are discussed.

Mid-Ir Cavity Ring-Down Spectrometer for Biological Trace Nitric Oxide Detection

Science.gov (United States)

Kan, Vincent; Ragab, Ahemd; Stsiapura, Vitali; Lehmann, Kevin K.; Gaston, Benjamin M.

2011-06-01

S-nitrosothiols have received much attention in biochemistry and medicine as donors of nitrosonium ion (NO^+) and nitric oxide (NO) - physiologically active molecules involved in vasodilation and signal transduction. Determination of S-nitrosothiols content in cells and tissues is of great importance for fundamental research and medical applications. We will report on our ongoing development of a instrument to measure trace levels of nitric oxide gas (NO), released from S-nitrosothiols after exposure to UV light (340 nm) or reaction with L-Cysteine+CuCl mixture. The instrument uses the method of cavity ring-down spectroscopy, probing rotationally resolved lines in the vibrational fundamental transition near 5.2 μm. The laser source is a continuous-wave, room temperature external cavity quantum cascade laser. An acousto-optic modulator is used to abruptly turn off the optical power incident on the cavity when the laser and cavity pass through resonance.

Intra-laser-cavity microparticle sensing with a dual-wavelength distributed-feedback laser

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bernhardi, Edward H.; van der Werf, Kees O; Hollink, Anton J F; Wörhoff, Kerstin; de Ridder, René M; Subramaniam, Vinod; Pollnau, Markus

An integrated intra-laser-cavity microparticle sensor based on a dual-wavelength distributed-feedback channel waveguide laser in ytterbium-doped amorphous aluminum oxide on a silicon substrate is demonstrated. Real-time detection and accurate size measurement of single micro-particles with diameters

Hybrid vertical-cavity laser with lateral emission into a silicon waveguide

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Park, Gyeong Cheol; Xue, Weiqi; Taghizadeh, Alireza

2015-01-01

into the waveguide integrated with the laser. This laser has the advantages of long-wavelength vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, such as low threshold and high side-mode suppression ratio, while allowing integration with silicon photonic circuits, and is fabricated using CMOS compatible processes. It has......We experimentally demonstrate an optically-pumped III-V/Si vertical-cavity laser with lateral emission into a silicon waveguide. This on-chip hybrid laser comprises a distributed Bragg reflector, a III-V active layer, and a high-contrast grating reflector, which simultaneously funnels light...

Enlargement of the inversionless lasing domain by using broad-area cavities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mompart, J [Departament de Fisica, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra (Spain); Torrent, M C [Departament de Fisica i Enginyeria Nuclear, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Colom 11, E-08222 Terrassa (Spain); Ahufinger, V [Departament de Fisica, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra (Spain); Garcia-Ojalvo, J [Departament de Fisica i Enginyeria Nuclear, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Colom 11, E-08222 Terrassa (Spain); Corbalan, R [Departament de Fisica, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra (Spain); Vilaseca, R [Departament de Fisica i Enginyeria Nuclear, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Colom 11, E-08222 Terrassa (Spain)

2003-06-01

We investigate analytically and numerically the role of diffraction in the operation of a broad-area inversionless laser in a cascade three-level configuration. Through a linear stability analysis of the trivial non-lasing solution and numerical integration of the corresponding Maxwell-Schroedinger equations, we show that off-axis emission allows stationary inversionless lasing over a cavity detuning range much larger than in small-aspect-ratio cavities and in conventionally inverted three-level lasers. In addition, we investigate inversionless lasing in a self-pulsing regime in the presence of diffraction, which leads to rich spatiotemporal dynamics.

Mode-locked Pr3+-doped silica fiber laser with an external cavity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shi, Yuan; Poulsen, Christian; Sejka, Milan

1994-01-01

We present a Pr3+-doped silica-based fiber laser mode-locked by using a linear external cavity with a vibrating mirror. Stable laser pulses with a FWHM of less than 44 ps, peak power greater than 9 W, and repetition rate up to 100 MHz are obtained. The pulse width versus cavity mismatch ΔL and pump...... power have been investigated. With a short piece of nonlinear fiber included in the external cavity, laser pulses of 45 ps have been measured...

Enhancement of optical Kerr effect in quantum-cascade lasers with multiple resonance levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Jing; Citrin, D S

2008-08-18

In this paper, we investigated the optical Kerr lensing effect in quantum-cascade lasers with multiple resonance levels. The Kerr refractive index n2 is obtained through the third-order susceptibility at the fundamental frequency chi(3)( omega; omega, omega,-omega). Resonant two-photon processes are found to have almost equal contributions to chi(3)( omega; omega, omega,-omega) as the single-photon processes, which result in the predicted enhancement of the positive nonlinear (Kerr) refractive index, and thus may enhance mode-locking of quantum-cascade lasers. Moreover, we also demonstrate an isospectral optimization strategy for further improving n2 through the band-structure design, in order to boost the multimode performance of quantum-cascade lasers. Simulation results show that the optimized stepwise multiple-quantum-well structure has n2 approximately 10-8 cm2/W, a twofold enhancement over the original flat quantum-well structure. This leads to a refractive-index change (delta)n of about 0.01, which is at the upper bound of those reported for typical Kerr medium. This stronger Kerr refractive index may be important for quantum-cascade lasers ultimately to demonstrate self-mode-locking.

Spin-controlled ultrafast vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Höpfner, Henning; Lindemann, Markus; Gerhardt, Nils C.; Hofmann, Martin R.

2014-05-01

Spin-controlled semiconductor lasers are highly attractive spintronic devices providing characteristics superior to their conventional purely charge-based counterparts. In particular, spin-controlled vertical-cavity surface emitting lasers (spin-VCSELs) promise to offer lower thresholds, enhanced emission intensity, spin amplification, full polarization control, chirp control and ultrafast dynamics. Most important, the ability to control and modulate the polarization state of the laser emission with extraordinarily high frequencies is very attractive for many applications like broadband optical communication and ultrafast optical switches. We present a novel concept for ultrafast spin-VCSELs which has the potential to overcome the conventional speed limitation for directly modulated lasers by the relaxation oscillation frequency and to reach modulation frequencies significantly above 100 GHz. The concept is based on the coupled spin-photon dynamics in birefringent micro-cavity lasers. By injecting spin-polarized carriers in the VCSEL, oscillations of the coupled spin-photon system can by induced which lead to oscillations of the polarization state of the laser emission. These oscillations are decoupled from conventional relaxation oscillations of the carrier-photon system and can be much faster than these. Utilizing these polarization oscillations is thus a very promising approach to develop ultrafast spin-VCSELs for high speed optical data communication in the near future. Different aspects of the spin and polarization dynamics, its connection to birefringence and bistability in the cavity, controlled switching of the oscillations, and the limitations of this novel approach will be analysed theoretically and experimentally for spin-polarized VCSELs at room temperature.

Quantum cascade laser infrared spectroscopy of single cancer cells

KAUST Repository

Patel, Imran; Rajamanickam, Vijayakumar Palanisamy; Bertoncini, Andrea; Pagliari, Francesca; Tirinato, Luca; Laptenok, Sergey P.; Liberale, Carlo

2017-01-01

Quantum cascade laser infrared spectroscopy is a next generation novel imaging technique allowing high resolution spectral imaging of cells. We show after spectral pre-processing, identification of different cancer cell populations within minutes.

Quantum cascade laser infrared spectroscopy of single cancer cells

KAUST Repository

Patel, Imran

2017-03-27

Quantum cascade laser infrared spectroscopy is a next generation novel imaging technique allowing high resolution spectral imaging of cells. We show after spectral pre-processing, identification of different cancer cell populations within minutes.

Widely tunable quantum cascade laser-based terahertz source.

Science.gov (United States)

Danylov, Andriy A; Light, Alexander R; Waldman, Jerry; Erickson, Neal; Qian, Xifeng

2014-07-10

A compact, tunable, ultranarrowband terahertz source, Δν∼1  MHz, is demonstrated by upconversion of a 2.324 THz, free-running quantum cascade laser with a THz Schottky-diode-balanced mixer using a swept, synthesized microwave source to drive the nonlinearity. Continuously tunable radiation of 1 μW power is demonstrated in two frequency regions: ν(Laser) ± 0 to 50 GHz and ν(Laser) ± 70 to 115 GHz. The sideband spectra were characterized with a Fourier-transform spectrometer, and the radiation was tuned through CO, HDO, and D2O rotational transitions.

Hot-phonon generation in THz quantum cascade lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Spagnolo, V.; Vitiello, M. S.; Scamarcio, G.; Williams, B. S.; Kumar, S.; Hu, Q.; Reno, J. L.

2007-12-01

Observation of non-equilibrium optical phonons population associated with electron transport in THz quantum cascade lasers is reported. The phonon occupation number was measured by using a combination of micro-probe photoluminescence and Stokes/Anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy. Energy balance analysis allows us to estimate the phonon relaxation rate, that superlinearly increases with the electrical power in the range 1.5 W - 1.95 W, above laser threshold. This observation suggests the occurrence of stimulated emission of optical phonons.

Modeling of Coupled Nano-Cavity Lasers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skovgård, Troels Suhr

-of-states and it is argued that Purcell enhancement should also be included in stimulated recombination term, contrary to the common practice in the literature. It is shown that for quantum well devices, the Purcell enhancement is effectively independent of the cavity quality factor due to the broad electronic density......-of-states relative to the optical density-of-states. The low effective Purcell eect for quantum well devices limits the highest possible modulation bandwidth to a few tens of gigahertz, which is comparable to the performance of conventional diode lasers. Compared to quantum well devices, quantum dot devices have...... is useful for design of coupled systems. A tight-binding description for coupled nanocavity lasers is developed and employed to investigate the phase-locking behavior for the system of two coupled cavities. Phase-locking is found to be critically dependent on exact parameter values and to be dicult...

Watt-level widely tunable single-mode emission by injection-locking of a multimode Fabry-Perot quantum cascade laser

Science.gov (United States)

Chevalier, Paul; Piccardo, Marco; Anand, Sajant; Mejia, Enrique A.; Wang, Yongrui; Mansuripur, Tobias S.; Xie, Feng; Lascola, Kevin; Belyanin, Alexey; Capasso, Federico

2018-02-01

Free-running Fabry-Perot lasers normally operate in a single-mode regime until the pumping current is increased beyond the single-mode instability threshold, above which they evolve into a multimode state. As a result of this instability, the single-mode operation of these lasers is typically constrained to few percents of their output power range, this being an undesired limitation in spectroscopy applications. In order to expand the span of single-mode operation, we use an optical injection seed generated by an external-cavity single-mode laser source to force the Fabry-Perot quantum cascade laser into a single-mode state in the high current range, where it would otherwise operate in a multimode regime. Utilizing this approach, we achieve single-mode emission at room temperature with a tuning range of 36 cm-1 and stable continuous-wave output power exceeding 1 W at 4.5 μm. Far-field measurements show that a single transverse mode is emitted up to the highest optical power, indicating that the beam properties of the seeded Fabry-Perot laser remain unchanged as compared to free-running operation.

Surface emitting ring quantum cascade lasers for chemical sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Szedlak, Rolf; Hayden, Jakob; Martín-Mateos, Pedro; Holzbauer, Martin; Harrer, Andreas; Schwarz, Benedikt; Hinkov, Borislav; MacFarland, Donald; Zederbauer, Tobias; Detz, Hermann; Andrews, Aaron Maxwell; Schrenk, Werner; Acedo, Pablo; Lendl, Bernhard; Strasser, Gottfried

2018-01-01

We review recent advances in chemical sensing applications based on surface emitting ring quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). Such lasers can be implemented in monolithically integrated on-chip laser/detector devices forming compact gas sensors, which are based on direct absorption spectroscopy according to the Beer-Lambert law. Furthermore, we present experimental results on radio frequency modulation up to 150 MHz of surface emitting ring QCLs. This technique provides detailed insight into the modulation characteristics of such lasers. The gained knowledge facilitates the utilization of ring QCLs in combination with spectroscopic techniques, such as heterodyne phase-sensitive dispersion spectroscopy for gas detection and analysis.

Quantum cascade lasers, systems, and applications in Europe

Science.gov (United States)

Lambrecht, Armin

2005-03-01

Since the invention of the Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) a decade ago an impressive progress has been achieved from first low temperature pulsed laser emission to continuous wave operation at room temperature. Distributed feedback (DFB) lasers working in pulsed mode at ambient temperatures and covering a broad spectral range in the mid infrared (MIR) are commercially available now. For many industrial applications e.g. automotive exhaust control and process monitoring, laser spectroscopy is an established technique, generally using near infrared (NIR) diode lasers. However, the mid infrared (MIR) spectral region is of special interest because of much stronger absorption lines compared to NIR. The status of QCL devices, system development and applications is reviewed. Special emphasis is given to the situation in Europe where a remarkable growth of QCL related R&D can be observed.

Anisotropic optical feedback of single frequency intra-cavity He–Ne laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu-Fei, Zhou; Shu-Lian, Zhang; Yi-Dong, Tan; Wei-Xin, Liu; Bin, Zhang

2009-01-01

This paper presents the anisotropic optical feedback of a single frequency intra-cavity He–Ne laser. A novel phenomenon was discovered that the laser output an elliptical polarized frequency instead of the initial linear polarized one. Two intensities with a phase difference were detected, both of which were modulated in the form of cosine wave and a fringe shift corresponds to a λ/2 movement of the feedback mirror. The phase difference can be continuously modulated by the wave plate in the external cavity. Frequency stabilization was used to stabilize the laser frequency so as to enlarge the measuring range and improve the measurement precision. This anisotropic optical feedback system offers a potential displacement measurement technology with the function of subdivision of λ/2 and in-time direction judgment. The three-mirror Fabry–Perot cavity model is used to present the experimental results. Given the lack of need of lasing adjustment, this full intra-cavity laser can significantly improve the simplicity and stability of the optical feedback system. (fluids, plasmas and electric discharges)

Compact and highly efficient laser pump cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Jim J.; Bass, Isaac L.; Zapata, Luis E.

1999-01-01

A new, compact, side-pumped laser pump cavity design which uses non-conventional optics for injection of laser-diode light into a laser pump chamber includes a plurality of elongated light concentration channels. In one embodiment, the light concentration channels are compound parabolic concentrators (CPC) which have very small exit apertures so that light will not escape from the pumping chamber and will be multiply reflected through the laser rod. This new design effectively traps the pump radiation inside the pump chamber that encloses the laser rod. It enables more uniform laser pumping and highly effective recycle of pump radiation, leading to significantly improved laser performance. This new design also effectively widens the acceptable radiation wavelength of the diodes, resulting in a more reliable laser performance with lower cost.

Photoacoustic Spectroscopy with Quantum Cascade Lasers for Trace Gas Detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gaetano Scamarcio

2006-10-01

Full Text Available Various applications, such as pollution monitoring, toxic-gas detection, noninvasive medical diagnostics and industrial process control, require sensitive and selectivedetection of gas traces with concentrations in the parts in 109 (ppb and sub-ppb range.The recent development of quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs has given a new aspect toinfrared laser-based trace gas sensors. In particular, single mode distributed feedback QCLsare attractive spectroscopic sources because of their excellent properties in terms of narrowlinewidth, average power and room temperature operation. In combination with these lasersources, photoacoustic spectroscopy offers the advantage of high sensitivity and selectivity,compact sensor platform, fast time-response and user friendly operation. This paper reportsrecent developments on quantum cascade laser-based photoacoustic spectroscopy for tracegas detection. In particular, different applications of a photoacoustic trace gas sensoremploying a longitudinal resonant cell with a detection limit on the order of hundred ppb ofozone and ammonia are discussed. We also report two QC laser-based photoacousticsensors for the detection of nitric oxide, for environmental pollution monitoring andmedical diagnostics, and hexamethyldisilazane, for applications in semiconductormanufacturing process.

How periodic are terahertz quantum cascade lasers?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kubis, T; Vogl, P

2009-01-01

We apply a novel non-equilibrium Green's function method for open quantum devices to analyze quantum cascade lasers. We find the carrier distribution in typical resonant phonon THz-QCLs to develop a periodicity that differs from the geometric periodicity of the QCL. We propose a design improvement that thermalizes electrons at threshold bias and thereby pins the electron density to the QCL periodicity.

Tunable high-power narrow-linewidth green external-cavity GaN diode laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chi, Mingjun; Jensen, Ole Bjarlin; Petersen, Paul Michael

2016-01-01

A tunable high-power green external-cavity diode laser is demonstrated. Up to 290 mW output power and a 9.2 nm tuning is achieve. This constitutes the highest output power from a tunable green diode laser system.......A tunable high-power green external-cavity diode laser is demonstrated. Up to 290 mW output power and a 9.2 nm tuning is achieve. This constitutes the highest output power from a tunable green diode laser system....

Narrow-line external cavity diode laser micro-packaging in the NIR and MIR spectral range

Science.gov (United States)

Jiménez, A.; Milde, T.; Staacke, N.; Aßmann, C.; Carpintero, G.; Sacher, J.

2017-07-01

Narrow-linewidth tunable diode lasers are an important tool for spectroscopic instrumentation. Conventional external cavity diode lasers offer high output power and narrow linewidth. However, most external cavity diode lasers are designed as laboratory instrument and do not allow portability. In comparison, other commonly used lasers, like distributed feedback lasers (DFB) that are capable of driving a handheld device, are limited in power and show linewidths which are not sufficiently narrow for certain applications. We present new miniaturized types of tunable external cavity diode laser which overcome the drawbacks of conventional external cavity diode lasers and which preserve the advantages of this laser concept. Three different configurations are discussed in this article. The three types of miniaturized external cavity diode laser systems achieve power values of more than 50 mW within the 1.4 μm water vapor absorption band with excellent side-mode suppression and linewidth below 100 kHz. Typical features outstand with respect to other type of laser systems which are of extended use such as DFB laser diodes. The higher output power and the lower linewidth will enable a higher sensitivity and resolution for a wide range of applications.

Frequency and amplitude modulation of ultra-compact terahertz quantum cascade lasers using an integrated avalanche diode oscillator.

Science.gov (United States)

Castellano, Fabrizio; Li, Lianhe; Linfield, Edmund H; Davies, A Giles; Vitiello, Miriam S

2016-03-15

Mode-locked comb sources operating at optical frequencies underpin applications ranging from spectroscopy and ultrafast physics, through to absolute frequency measurements and atomic clocks. Extending their operation into the terahertz frequency range would greatly benefit from the availability of compact semiconductor-based sources. However, the development of any compact mode-locked THz laser, which itself is inherently a frequency comb, has yet to be achieved without the use of an external stimulus. High-power, electrically pumped quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) have recently emerged as a promising solution, owing to their octave spanning bandwidths, the ability to achieve group-velocity dispersion compensation and the possibility of obtaining active mode-locking. Here, we propose an unprecedented compact architecture to induce both frequency and amplitude self-modulation in a THz QCL. By engineering a microwave avalanche oscillator into the laser cavity, which provides a 10 GHz self-modulation of the bias current and output power, we demonstrate multimode laser emission centered around 3 THz, with distinct multiple sidebands. The resulting microwave amplitude and frequency self-modulation of THz QCLs opens up intriguing perspectives, for engineering integrated self-mode-locked THz lasers, with impact in fields such as nano- and ultrafast photonics and optical metrology.

Processing Interband Cascade Laser for High Temperature CW Operation

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Tober, Richard

2004-01-01

A narrow ridge-waveguide mid-IR interband cascade laser based on Type-II InAs/GaInSh heterostructures processed with a thick gold heat spreading layer operated CW at temperatures ranging from 80 K to 214.4 K...

Semiconductor lasers stability, instability and chaos

CERN Document Server

Ohtsubo, Junji

2017-01-01

This book describes the fascinating recent advances made concerning the chaos, stability and instability of semiconductor lasers, and discusses their applications and future prospects in detail. It emphasizes the dynamics in semiconductor lasers by optical and electronic feedback, optical injection, and injection current modulation. Applications of semiconductor laser chaos, control and noise, and semiconductor lasers are also demonstrated. Semiconductor lasers with new structures, such as vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers and broad-area semiconductor lasers, are intriguing and promising devices. Current topics include fast physical number generation using chaotic semiconductor lasers for secure communication, development of chaos, quantum-dot semiconductor lasers and quantum-cascade semiconductor lasers, and vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. This fourth edition has been significantly expanded to reflect the latest developments. The fundamental theory of laser chaos and the chaotic dynamics in se...

Towards a continuous glucose monitoring system using tunable quantum cascade lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Haase, Katharina; Müller, Niklas; Petrich, Wolfgang

2018-02-01

We present a reagent-free approach for long-term continuous glucose monitoring (cgm) of liquid samples using midinfrared absorption spectroscopy. This method could constitute an alternative to enzymatic glucose sensors in order to manage the widespread disease of Diabetes. In order to acquire spectra of the liquid specimen, we use a spectrally tunable external-cavity (EC-) quantum cascade laser (QCL) as radiation source in combination with a fiber-based in vitro sensor setup. Hereby we achieve a glucose sensitivity in pure glucose solutions of 3 mg/dL (RMSEP). Furthermore, the spectral tunability of the EC-QCL enables us to discriminate glucose from other molecules. We exemplify this by detecting glucose among other saccharides with an accuracy of 8 mg/dL (within other monosaccharides, RMSEVC) and 14 mg/dL (within other mono- and disaccharides, RMSECV). Moreover, we demonstrate a characterization of the significance of each wavenumber for an accurate prediction of glucose among other saccharides using an evolutionary algorithm. We show, that by picking 10 distinct wavenumbers we can achieve comparable accuracies to the use of a complete spectrum.

Development of a compact vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser end-pumped actively Q-switched laser for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Shuo; Chen, Rongzhang; Nelsen, Bryan; Chen, Kevin, E-mail: pec9@pitt.edu [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260 (United States); Liu, Lei; Huang, Xi; Lu, Yongfeng [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588 (United States)

2016-03-15

This paper reports the development of a compact and portable actively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser and its applications in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The laser was end-pumped by a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). The cavity lases at a wavelength of 1064 nm and produced pulses of 16 ns with a maximum pulse energy of 12.9 mJ. The laser exhibits a reliable performance in terms of pulse-to-pulse stability and timing jitter. The LIBS experiments were carried out using this laser on NIST standard alloy samples. Shot-to-shot LIBS signal stability, crater profile, time evolution of emission spectra, plasma electron density and temperature, and limits of detection were studied and reported in this paper. The test results demonstrate that the VCSEL-pumped solid-state laser is an effective and compact laser tool for laser remote sensing applications.

Mode-locking of a terahertz laser by direct phase synchronization.

Science.gov (United States)

Maysonnave, J; Maussang, K; Freeman, J R; Jukam, N; Madéo, J; Cavalié, P; Rungsawang, R; Khanna, S P; Linfield, E H; Davies, A G; Beere, H E; Ritchie, D A; Dhillon, S S; Tignon, J

2012-09-10

A novel scheme to achieve mode-locking of a multimode laser is demonstrated. Traditional methods to produce ultrashort laser pulses are based on modulating the cavity gain or losses at the cavity roundtrip frequency, favoring the pulsed emission. Here, we rather directly act on the phases of the modes, resulting in constructive interference for the appropriated phase relationship. This was performed on a terahertz quantum cascade laser by multimode injection seeding with an external terahertz pulse, resulting in phase mode-locked terahertz laser pulses of 9 ps duration, characterized unambiguously in the time domain.

How periodic are terahertz quantum cascade lasers?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kubis, T; Vogl, P, E-mail: tillmann.kubis@wsi.tum.d [Walter Schottky Institute, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Am Coulombwall 3, 85748 Garching (Germany)

2009-11-15

We apply a novel non-equilibrium Green's function method for open quantum devices to analyze quantum cascade lasers. We find the carrier distribution in typical resonant phonon THz-QCLs to develop a periodicity that differs from the geometric periodicity of the QCL. We propose a design improvement that thermalizes electrons at threshold bias and thereby pins the electron density to the QCL periodicity.

Frequency modulation spectroscopy with a THz quantum-cascade laser.

Science.gov (United States)

Eichholz, R; Richter, H; Wienold, M; Schrottke, L; Hey, R; Grahn, H T; Hübers, H-W

2013-12-30

We report on a terahertz spectrometer for high-resolution molecular spectroscopy based on a quantum-cascade laser. High-frequency modulation (up to 50 MHz) of the laser driving current produces a simultaneous modulation of the frequency and amplitude of the laser output. The modulation generates sidebands, which are symmetrically positioned with respect to the laser carrier frequency. The molecular transition is probed by scanning the sidebands across it. In this way, the absorption and the dispersion caused by the molecular transition are measured. The signals are modeled by taking into account the simultaneous modulation of the frequency and amplitude of the laser emission. This allows for the determination of the strength of the frequency as well as amplitude modulation of the laser and of molecular parameters such as pressure broadening.

Hybrid III-V-on-Si Vertical Cavity laser for Optical Interconnects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Park, Gyeong Cheol; Semenova, Elizaveta; Chung, Il-Sug

2013-01-01

Combining a III-V active material onto the Si platform is an attractive approach for silicon photonics light source. We have developed fabrication methods for novel III-V on Si vertical cavity lasers.......Combining a III-V active material onto the Si platform is an attractive approach for silicon photonics light source. We have developed fabrication methods for novel III-V on Si vertical cavity lasers....

Construction and characterization of external cavity diode lasers for atomic physics.

Science.gov (United States)

Hardman, Kyle S; Bennetts, Shayne; Debs, John E; Kuhn, Carlos C N; McDonald, Gordon D; Robins, Nick

2014-04-24

Since their development in the late 1980s, cheap, reliable external cavity diode lasers (ECDLs) have replaced complex and expensive traditional dye and Titanium Sapphire lasers as the workhorse laser of atomic physics labs. Their versatility and prolific use throughout atomic physics in applications such as absorption spectroscopy and laser cooling makes it imperative for incoming students to gain a firm practical understanding of these lasers. This publication builds upon the seminal work by Wieman, updating components, and providing a video tutorial. The setup, frequency locking and performance characterization of an ECDL will be described. Discussion of component selection and proper mounting of both diodes and gratings, the factors affecting mode selection within the cavity, proper alignment for optimal external feedback, optics setup for coarse and fine frequency sensitive measurements, a brief overview of laser locking techniques, and laser linewidth measurements are included.

Birefringence Optical Feedback with a Folded Cavity in HeNe Laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Yun; Tan Yi-Dong

2013-01-01

The birefringence optical feedback with a folded cavity in HeNe laser is investigated. A theory model based on the equivalent cavity of the Fabry—Perot interferometer is presented. The phase difference between the two intensities in birefringence feedback is twice the retardation of the wave plate. The phase difference is invariable when the length of the feedback cavity changes. With the adoption of a cube corner prism (CCP) to form a folded cavity, the fringe frequency is doubled, and the resolution of the displacement sensor based on birefringence optical feedback with a folded cavity is improved. A resistance chain of 5-fold subdivision and 4-fold logic subdivision is used as further subdivision. The resolution of λ/80 is obtained eventually; for 632.8 nm HeNe laser it is 7.91 nm. The displacement sensor based on birefringence optical feedback with a folded cavity is simple and of high resolution, large measurement range, low cost, and is of great application potential in industry

A single-frequency, ring cavity Tm-doped fiber laser based on a CMFBG filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Qi; Yan, Fengping; Peng, Wanjing; Liu, Shuo; Feng, Ting; Tan, Siyu; Liu, Peng

2013-01-01

A single-frequency (SF), continuous-wave (CW), ring cavity Tm-doped fiber laser has been proposed and demonstrated. A chirped moiré fiber grating (CMFBG) was used as an ultra-narrow filter in the laser cavity to ensure SF operation. When the launched pump power was fixed at 2 W, this proposed laser was in stable operation with a central wavelength, optical signal-to-noise ratio, and full width at half maximum of 1942.8140 nm, 47 dB, and 0.0522 nm, respectively, with a resolution of 0.05 nm. The maximum output power of this laser is 95 mW, a higher output power is restricted by the optical circulator that is used in the cavity. The SF operation of this laser was confirmed by the self-homodyne method. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report on an SF, CW, ring cavity Tm-doped fiber laser with a CMFBG filter. (letter)

Storage of laser pulses in a Fabry-Perot optical cavity for high flux x-ray

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takezawa, K.; Honda, Y.; Sasao, N.; Araki, S.; Higashi, Y.; Taniguchi, T.; Urakawa, J.; Nomura, M.; Sakai, H.

2004-01-01

We have a plan to produce a high flux x-ray for medical use by using a Fabry-Perot optical cavity in which the lower pulses from a mode-locked laser are stored and enhanced. In this plan, the X-ray is produced from the Compton scattering of electrons in a storage ring with the laser light in the optical cavity. In order to increase X-ray flux, high power laser light is necessary. We show the enhancement of the laser power from the model locked laser with a Fabry-Perot optical cavity. (author)

Wavelength-controlled external-cavity laser with a silicon photonic crystal resonant reflector

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez-Fernandez, A. A.; Liles, Alexandros A.; Persheyev, Saydulla; Debnath, Kapil; O'Faolain, Liam

2016-03-01

We report the experimental demonstration of an alternative design of external-cavity hybrid lasers consisting of a III-V Semiconductor Optical Amplifier with fiber reflector and a Photonic Crystal (PhC) based resonant reflector on SOI. The Silicon reflector comprises a polymer (SU8) bus waveguide vertically coupled to a PhC cavity and provides a wavelength-selective optical feedback to the laser cavity. This device exhibits milliwatt-level output power and sidemode suppression ratio of more than 25 dB.

Observing mode propagation inside a laser cavity

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Naidoo, Darryl

2012-05-01

Full Text Available components, to study the forward and backward propagating waves everywhere inside a laser cavity. We verify the previous theoretical-only prediction that the two fields may differ substantially in their amplitude profile, even for stable resonator systems, a...

Transverse-mode-selectable microlens vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chung, Il-Sug; Debernardi, Pierluigi; Lee, Yong Tak

2010-01-01

A new vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser structure employing a thin microlens is suggested and numerically investigated. The laser can be made to emit in either a high-power Gaussian-shaped single-fundamental mode or a high-power doughnut-shaped higher-order mode. The physical origin...

Mode locking of Yb:GdYAG ceramic lasers with an isotropic cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, C W; Tang, D Y; Zhu, H Y; Zhang, J

2013-01-01

We report on the passive mode locking of a diode pumped Yb:GdYAG ceramic laser with a near isotropic cavity. It is found that the laser could simultaneously mode lock in the two orthogonal principal polarization directions of the cavity, and the mode locked pulses of the two polarizations have identical features and are temporally perfectly synchronized. However, their pulse energy varies out-of-phase periodically, manifesting the antiphase dynamics of mode locked lasers. (letter)

A compact chaotic laser device with a two-dimensional external cavity structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sunada, Satoshi; Adachi, Masaaki; Fukushima, Takehiro; Shinohara, Susumu; Arai, Kenichi; Harayama, Takahisa

2014-01-01

We propose a compact chaotic laser device, which consists of a semiconductor laser and a two-dimensional (2D) external cavity for delayed optical feedback. The overall size of the device is within 230 μm × 1 mm. A long time delay sufficient for chaos generation can be achieved with the small area by the multiple reflections at the 2D cavity boundary, and the feedback strength is controlled by the injection current to the external cavity. We experimentally demonstrate that a variety of output properties, including chaotic output, can be selectively generated by controlling the injection current to the external cavity.

Construction and Characterization of External Cavity Diode Lasers for Atomic Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Hardman, Kyle S.; Bennetts, Shayne; Debs, John E.; Kuhn, Carlos C. N.; McDonald, Gordon D.; Robins, Nick

2014-01-01

Since their development in the late 1980s, cheap, reliable external cavity diode lasers (ECDLs) have replaced complex and expensive traditional dye and Titanium Sapphire lasers as the workhorse laser of atomic physics labs1,2. Their versatility and prolific use throughout atomic physics in applications such as absorption spectroscopy and laser cooling1,2 makes it imperative for incoming students to gain a firm practical understanding of these lasers. This publication builds upon the seminal work by Wieman3, updating components, and providing a video tutorial. The setup, frequency locking and performance characterization of an ECDL will be described. Discussion of component selection and proper mounting of both diodes and gratings, the factors affecting mode selection within the cavity, proper alignment for optimal external feedback, optics setup for coarse and fine frequency sensitive measurements, a brief overview of laser locking techniques, and laser linewidth measurements are included. PMID:24796259

A high-gain and high-efficiency X-band triaxial klystron amplifier with two-stage cascaded bunching cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Wei; Ju, Jinchuan; Zhang, Jun; Zhong, Huihuang

2017-12-01

To achieve GW-level amplification output radiation at the X-band, a relativistic triaxial klystron amplifier with two-stage cascaded double-gap bunching cavities is investigated. The input cavity is optimized to obtain a high absorption rate of the external injection microwave. The cascaded bunching cavities are optimized to achieve a high depth of the fundamental harmonic current. A double-gap standing wave extractor is designed to improve the beam wave conversion efficiency. Two reflectors with high reflection coefficients both to the asymmetric mode and the TEM mode are employed to suppress the asymmetric mode competition and TEM mode microwave leakage. Particle-in-cell simulation results show that a high power microwave with a power of 2.53 GW and a frequency of 8.4 GHz is generated with a 690 kV, 9.3 kA electron beam excitation and a 25 kW seed microwave injection. Particularly, the achieved power conversion efficiency is about 40%, and the gain is as high as 50 dB. Meanwhile, there is insignificant self-excitation of the parasitic mode in the proposed structure by adopting the reflectors. The relative phase difference between the injected signals and the output microwaves keeps locked after the amplifier becomes saturated.

Efficient method for transport simulations in quantum cascade lasers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maczka Mariusz

2017-01-01

Full Text Available An efficient method for simulating quantum transport in quantum cascade lasers is presented. The calculations are performed within a simple approximation inspired by Büttiker probes and based on a finite model for semiconductor superlattices. The formalism of non-equilibrium Green’s functions is applied to determine the selected transport parameters in a typical structure of a terahertz laser. Results were compared with those obtained for a infinite model as well as other methods described in literature.

Spectral behavior of a terahertz quantum-cascade laser.

Science.gov (United States)

Hensley, J M; Montoya, Juan; Allen, M G; Xu, J; Mahler, L; Tredicucci, A; Beere, H E; Ritchie, D A

2009-10-26

In this paper, the spectral behavior of two terahertz (THz) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) operating both pulsed and cw is characterized using a heterodyne technique. Both lasers emitting around 2.5 THz are combined onto a whisker contact Schottky diode mixer mounted in a corner cube reflector. The resulting difference frequency beatnote is recorded in both the time and frequency domain. From the frequency domain data, we measure the effective laser linewidth and the tuning rates as a function of both temperature and injection current and show that the current tuning behavior cannot be explained by temperature tuning mechanisms alone. From the time domain data, we characterize the intrapulse frequency tuning behavior, which limits the effective linewidth to approximately 5 MHz.

Split-disk micro-lasers: Tunable whispering gallery mode cavities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Siegle

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Optical micro-cavities of various types have emerged as promising photonic structures, for both the investigation of fundamental science in cavity quantum electrodynamics and simultaneously for various applications, e.g., lasers, filters, or modulators. In either branch a demand for adjustable and tunable photonic devices becomes apparent, which has been mainly based on the modification of the refractive index of the micro-resonators so far. In this paper, we report on a novel type of whispering gallery mode resonator where resonance tuning is achieved by modification of the configuration. This is realized by polymeric split-disks consisting of opposing half-disks with an intermediate air gap. Functionality of the split-disk concept and its figures of merit like low-threshold lasing are demonstrated for laser dye-doped split-disks fabricated by electron beam lithography on Si substrates. Reversible resonance tuning is achieved for split-disks structured onto elastomeric substrates by direct laser writing. The gap width and hence the resonance wavelength can be well-controlled by mechanically stretching the elastomer and exploiting the lateral shrinkage of the substrate. We demonstrate a broad spectral tunability of laser modes by more than three times the free spectral range. These cavities have the potential to form a key element of flexible and tunable photonic circuits based on polymers.

Lambda shifted photonic crystal cavity laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schubert, Martin; Skovgård, Troels Suhr; Ek, Sara

2010-01-01

We propose and demonstrate an alternative type of photonic crystal laser design that shifts all the holes in the lattice by a fixed fraction of the targeted emission wavelength. The structures are realized in InGaAsP =1.15 with InGaAsP quantum wells =1.52 as gain material. Cavities with shifts of...

Influence of interface roughness in quantum cascade lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krivas, K. A.; Winge, D. O.; Franckié, M.; Wacker, A.

2015-01-01

We use a numerical model based on non-equilibrium Green's functions to investigate the influence of interface roughness (IFR) scattering in terahertz quantum cascade lasers. We confirm that IFR is an important phenomenon that affects both current and gain. The simulations indicate that IFR causes a leakage current that transfers electrons from the upper to the lower laser state. In certain cases, this current can greatly reduce gain. In addition, individual interfaces and their impact on the renormalized single particle energies are studied and shown to give both blue- and red-shifts of the gain spectrum

Noise-cancelled, cavity-enhanced saturation laser spectroscopy for laser frequency stabilisation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vine, Glenn de; McClelland, David E; Gray, Malcolm B

2006-01-01

We employ a relatively simple experimental technique enabling mechanical-noise free, cavityenhanced spectroscopic measurements of an atomic transition and its hyperfine structure. We demonstrate this technique with the 532 nm frequency doubled output from a Nd:YAG laser and an iodine vapour cell. The resulting cavity-enhanced, noise-cancelled, iodine hyperfine error signal is used as a frequency reference with which we stabilise the frequency of the 1064nm Nd:YAG laser. Preliminary frequency stabilisation results are then presented

High-efficiency cavity-dumped micro-chip Yb:YAG laser

Science.gov (United States)

Nishio, M.; Maruko, A.; Inoue, M.; Takama, M.; Matsubara, S.; Okunishi, H.; Kato, K.; Kyomoto, K.; Yoshida, T.; Shimabayashi, K.; Morioka, M.; Inayoshi, S.; Yamagata, S.; Kawato, S.

2014-09-01

High-efficiency cavity-dumped ytterbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Yb:YAG) laser was developed. Although the high quantum efficiency of ytterbium-doped laser materials is appropriate for high-efficiency laser oscillation, the efficiency is decreased by their quasi-three/four laser natures. High gain operation by high intensity pumping is suitable for high efficiency oscillation on the quasi-three/four lasers without extremely low temperature cooling. In our group, highest efficiency oscillations for continuous wave, nanosecond to picosecond pulse lasers were achieved at room temperature by the high gain operation in which pump intensities were beyond 100 kW/cm2.

Interacting collective modes in a laser cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Graca, E.L.; Brito, A.L. de; Baseia, B.

1985-01-01

Collective operators are defined for the quantized radiation field in a one-dimensional laser cavity coupled to a semi-infinite outside region and the overlaps of neighbouring collective modes are considered to show how they modify, in the linear appoximation, the time evolution of the radiation field below threshold. The model and procedure work directly within a continuous spectrum of modes and allow us to get an improved insight on the prescription for the laser field in single-mode operation. (Author) [pt

Dynamics of bad-cavity-enhanced interaction with cold Sr atoms for laser stabilization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schäffer, S. A.; Christensen, B. T.R.; Henriksen, M. R.

2017-01-01

Hybrid systems of cold atoms and optical cavities are promising systems for increasing the stability of laser oscillators used in quantum metrology and atomic clocks. In this paper we map out the atom-cavity dynamics in such a system and demonstrate limitations as well as robustness of the approach....... We investigate the phase response of an ensemble of cold Sr88 atoms inside an optical cavity for use as an error signal in laser frequency stabilization. With this system we realize a regime where the high atomic phase shift limits the dynamical locking range. The limitation is caused by the cavity...

Novel Cavities in Vertical External Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers for Emission in Broad Spectral Region by Means of Nonlinear Frequency Conversion

Science.gov (United States)

Lukowski, Michal L.

Optically pumped semiconductor vertical external cavity surface emitting lasers (VECSEL) were first demonstrated in the mid 1990's. Due to the unique design properties of extended cavity lasers VECSELs have been able to provide tunable, high-output powers while maintaining excellent beam quality. These features offer a wide range of possible applications in areas such as medicine, spectroscopy, defense, imaging, communications and entertainment. Nowadays, newly developed VECSELs, cover the spectral regions from red (600 nm) to around 5 microm. By taking the advantage of the open cavity design, the emission can be further expanded to UV or THz regions by the means of intracavity nonlinear frequency generation. The objective of this dissertation is to investigate and extend the capabilities of high-power VECSELs by utilizing novel nonlinear conversion techniques. Optically pumped VECSELs based on GaAs semiconductor heterostructures have been demonstrated to provide exceptionally high output powers covering the 900 to 1200 nm spectral region with diffraction limited beam quality. The free space cavity design allows for access to the high intracavity circulating powers where high efficiency nonlinear frequency conversions and wavelength tuning can be obtained. As an introduction, this dissertation consists of a brief history of the development of VECSELs as well as wafer design, chip fabrication and resonator cavity design for optimal frequency conversion. Specifically, the different types of laser cavities such as: linear cavity, V-shaped cavity and patented T-shaped cavity are described, since their optimization is crucial for transverse mode quality, stability, tunability and efficient frequency conversion. All types of nonlinear conversions such as second harmonic, sum frequency and difference frequency generation are discussed in extensive detail. The theoretical simulation and the development of the high-power, tunable blue and green VECSEL by the means of type I

Porous photonic crystal external cavity laser biosensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Qinglan [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Peh, Jessie; Hergenrother, Paul J. [Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Cunningham, Brian T. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States)

2016-08-15

We report the design, fabrication, and testing of a photonic crystal (PC) biosensor structure that incorporates a porous high refractive index TiO{sub 2} dielectric film that enables immobilization of capture proteins within an enhanced surface-area volume that spatially overlaps with the regions of resonant electromagnetic fields where biomolecular binding can produce the greatest shifts in photonic crystal resonant wavelength. Despite the nanoscale porosity of the sensor structure, the PC slab exhibits narrowband and high efficiency resonant reflection, enabling the structure to serve as a wavelength-tunable element of an external cavity laser. In the context of sensing small molecule interactions with much larger immobilized proteins, we demonstrate that the porous structure provides 3.7× larger biosensor signals than an equivalent nonporous structure, while the external cavity laser (ECL) detection method provides capability for sensing picometer-scale shifts in the PC resonant wavelength caused by small molecule binding. The porous ECL achieves a record high figure of merit for label-free optical biosensors.

Mode-locked terahertz quantum cascade laser by direct phase synchronization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maussang, K.; Maysonnave, J.; Jukam, N.; Freeman, J. R.; Cavalié, P.; Dhillon, S. S.; Tignon, J.; Khanna, S. P.; Linfield, E. H.; Davies, A. G.; Beere, H. E.; Ritchie, D. A.

2013-01-01

Mode-locking of a terahertz quantum cascade laser is achieved using multimode injection seeding. Contrary to standard methods that rely on gain modulation, here a fixed phase relationship is directly imprinted to the laser modes. In this work, we demonstrate the generation of 9 ps phase mode-locked pulses around 2.75 THz. A direct measurement of the emitted field phase shows that it results from the phase of the initial injection

Thermal Management of Quantum Cascade Lasers in an individually Addressable Array Architecture

Science.gov (United States)

2016-02-08

diode arrays, along with access to both front and rear facets. Hence, both laser and single-pass amplifier arrays can be accommodated. A module was... CW conditions at an emission wavelength of 9 m. OCIS codes: Semiconductor lasers , quantum cascade (140.5965), Laser arrays (140.3290) 1...Rubio, "Active coherent beam combining of diode lasers ," Opt. Lett. 36, 999-1001 (2011). 2. B. G. Saar, K. Creedon, L. Missaggia, C. A. Wang, M. K

Microencapsulation of silicon cavities using a pulsed excimer laser

KAUST Repository

Sedky, Sherif M.

2012-06-07

This work presents a novel low thermal-budget technique for sealing micromachined cavities in silicon. Cavities are sealed without deposition, similar to the silicon surface-migration sealing process. In contrast to the 1100°C furnace anneal required for the migration process, the proposed technique uses short excimer laser pulses (24ns), focused onto an area of 23mm 2, to locally heat the top few microns of the substrate, while the bulk substrate remains near ambient temperature. The treatment can be applied to selected regions of the substrate, without the need for special surface treatments or a controlled environment. This work investigates the effect of varying the laser pulse energy from 400 mJ cm 2to 800 mJ cm 2, the pulse rate from 1Hz to 50Hz and the pulse count from 200 to 3000 pulses on sealing microfabricated cavities in silicon. An analytical model for the effect of holes on the surface temperature distribution is derived, which shows that much higher temperatures can be achieved by increasing the hole density. A mechanism for sealing the cavities is proposed, which indicates how complete sealing is feasible. © 2012 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Corneal tissue ablation using 6.1 μm quantum cascade laser

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yong; Kang, Jin U.

2012-03-01

High absorption property of tissues in the IR range (λ> 2 μm) results in effective tissue ablation, especially near 3 μm. In the mid-infrared range, wavelengths of 6.1 μm and 6.45 μm fall into the absorption bands of the amide protein groups Amide-I and Amide-II, respectively. They also coincide with the deformation mode of water, which has an absorption peak at 6.1 μm. This coincidence makes 6.1 μm laser a better ablation tool that has promising effectiveness and minimum collateral damages than 3 μm lasers. In this work, we performed bovine corneal ablation test in-vitro using high-power 6.1μm quantum cascade laser (QCL) operated at pulse mode. Quantum cascade laser has the advantages of low cost, compact size and tunable wavelength, which makes it great alternative Mid-IR light source to conventional tunable free-electron lasers (FEL) for medical applications. Preliminary results show that effective corneal stroma craters were achieved with much less collateral damage in corneal tissue that contains less water. Future study will focus on optimizing the control parameters of QCL to attain neat and precise ablation of corneal tissue and development of high peak power QCL.

Selection of transverse modes in laser cavities containing waveguides and open parts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gurin, O V; Degtyarev, A V; Maslov, Vyacheslav A; Svich, V A; Tkachenko, V M; Topkov, A N

2001-01-01

The transverse modes of a submillimetre laser cavity that contains waveguides and open parts were studied theoretically and experimentally with the purpose of finding methods for mode selection. Two methods based on the filtering of the Fourier spectra of the waveguide modes and the use of their interference were substantiated numerically and realised in experiment. Special attention was paid to the mode selection in tunable lasers. Scaling laws allowing one to use the obtained results in a wide range of the cavity parameters and wavelengths are presented. (laser applications and other topics in quantum electronics)

Surface plasmon quantum cascade lasers as terahertz local oscillators

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hajenius, M.; Khosropanah, P.; Hovenier, J. N.; Gao, J. R.; Klapwijk, T. M.; Barbieri, S.; Dhillon, S.; Filloux, P.; Sirtori, C.; Ritchie, D. A.; Beere, H. E.

2008-01-01

We characterize a heterodyne receiver based on a surface-plasmon waveguide quantum cascade laser (QCL) emitting at 2.84 THz as a local oscillator, and an NbN hot electron bolometer as a mixer. We find that the envelope of the far-field pattern of the QCL is diffraction-limited and superimposed onto

Dynamics of a broad-area diode laser with lateral-mode-selected long-cavity feedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chi, Mingjun; Petersen, Paul Michael

2014-01-01

The temporal dynamics of a broad-area diode laser with lateral-mode-selected long-cavity feedback is studied experimentally. Different dynamics are observed when different lateral modes are selected. When the feedback mirror is aligned perfectly and high-order modes are selected, in most....... When the feedback mirror is aligned non-perfectly, pulse-package oscillation is observed, for the first time to our knowledge, in a diode laser with long-cavity feedback....... of the cases, the output of the laser shows a periodic oscillation corresponding to a single roundtrip external-cavity loop, but the dynamic behavior disappears in some case; when the zero-order lateral-mode is selected, periodic oscillation corresponding to a double roundtrip external-cavity loop is observed...

Widely tunable Sampled Grating Distributed Bragg Reflector Quantum Cascade laser for gas spectroscopy applications

Science.gov (United States)

Diba, Abdou Salam

Since the advent of semiconductor lasers, the development of tunable laser sources has been subject of many efforts in industry and academia arenas. This interest towards broadly tunable lasers is mainly due to the great promise they have in many applications ranging from telecommunication, to environmental science and homeland security, just to name a few. After the first demonstration of quantum cascade laser (QCL) in the early nineties, QCL has experienced a rapid development, so much so that QCLs are now the most reliable and efficient laser source in the Mid-IR range covering between 3 microm to 30 microm region of the electromagnetic spectrum. QCLs have almost all the desirable characteristics of a laser for spectroscopy applications such as narrow spectral linewidth ideal for high selectivity measurement, high power enabling high sensitivity sensing and more importantly they emit in the finger-print region of most of the trace gases and large molecules. The need for widely tunable QCLs is now more pressing than ever before. A single mode quantum cascade laser (QCL) such as a distributed feedback (DFB) QCL, is an ideal light source for gas sensing in the MIR wavelength range. Despite their performance and reliability, DFB QCLs are limited by their relatively narrow wavelength tuning range determined by the thermal rollover of the laser. An external cavity (EC) QCL, on the other hand, is a widely tunable laser source, and so far is the choice mid-infrared single frequency light sources for detecting multiple species/large molecules. However, EC QCLs can be complex, bulky and expensive. In the quest for finding alternative broadly wavelength tunable sources in the mid-infrared, many monolithic tunable QCLs are recently proposed and fabricated, including SG-DBR, DFB-Arrays, Slot-hole etc. and they are all of potentially of interest as a candidate for multi-gas sensing and monitoring applications, due to their large tuning range (>50 cm-1), and potentially low

Q-switched operation with Fox-Smith-Michelson laser cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, X; Huang, L; Gong, M

2008-01-01

A new kind of three-mirror composite cavity, Fox-Smith-Michelson cavity has been configured. This laser cavity is capable of high power output, owing to the low threshold of Michelson cavity. Also, thanks to the mode selection function of Fox-Smith cavity, stable pulses at high repetition rate can be generated. In our experiment, 15.54 W CW output at 1064 nm has been achieved, with an optic-to-optic conversion efficiency of 42.2%. At the Q-switching repetition rate of 100 kHz, the average output power is 11.92 W, with an optic-to-optic conversion efficiency of 38.2%. For Q-switching frequency from 30 kHz to 100 kHz, the pulse width variation is below 4.4% and the amplitude variation is below 4.8%

Cavity-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy of Natural Gas with Optical Feedback cw-Diode Lasers.

Science.gov (United States)

Hippler, Michael

2015-08-04

We report on improvements made on our previously introduced technique of cavity-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (CERS) with optical feedback cw-diode lasers in the gas phase, including a new mode-matching procedure which keeps the laser in resonance with the optical cavity without inducing long-term frequency shifts of the laser, and using a new CCD camera with improved noise performance. With 10 mW of 636.2 nm diode laser excitation and 30 s integration time, cavity enhancement achieves noise-equivalent detection limits below 1 mbar at 1 bar total pressure, depending on Raman cross sections. Detection limits can be easily improved using higher power diodes. We further demonstrate a relevant analytical application of CERS, the multicomponent analysis of natural gas samples. Several spectroscopic features have been identified and characterized. CERS with low power diode lasers is suitable for online monitoring of natural gas mixtures with sensitivity and spectroscopic selectivity, including monitoring H2, H2S, N2, CO2, and alkanes.

Efficient 525 nm laser generation in single or double resonant cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Shilong; Han, Zhenhai; Liu, Shikai; Li, Yinhai; Zhou, Zhiyuan; Shi, Baosen

2018-03-01

This paper reports the results of a study into highly efficient sum frequency generation from 792 and 1556 nm wavelength light to 525 nm wavelength light using either a single or double resonant ring cavity based on a periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate crystal (PPKTP). By optimizing the cavity's parameters, the maximum power achieved for the resultant 525 nm laser was 263 and 373 mW for the single and double resonant cavity, respectively. The corresponding quantum conversion efficiencies were 8 and 77% for converting 1556 nm photons to 525 nm photons with the single and double resonant cavity, respectively. The measured intra-cavity single pass conversion efficiency for both configurations was about 5%. The performances of the sum frequency generation in these two configurations was studied and compared in detail. This work will provide guidelines for optimizing the generation of sum frequency generated laser light for a variety of configurations. The high conversion efficiency achieved in this work will help pave the way for frequency up-conversion of non-classical quantum states, such as the squeezed vacuum and single photon states. The proposed green laser source will be used in our future experiments, which includes a plan to generate two-color entangled photon pairs and achieve the frequency down-conversion of single photons carrying orbital angular momentum.

Frequency-comb-assisted broadband precision spectroscopy with cascaded diode lasers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Junqiu; Brasch, Victor; Pfeiffer, Martin H. P.

2016-01-01

Frequency-comb-assisted diode laser spectroscopy, employing both the accuracy of an optical frequency comb and the broad wavelength tuning range of a tunable diode laser, has been widely used in many applications. In this Letter, we present a novel method using cascaded frequency agile diode lasers......, which allows us to extend the measurement bandwidth to 37.4 THz (1355-1630 nm) at megahertz resolution with scanning speeds above 1 THz/s. It is demonstrated as a useful tool to characterize a broadband spectrum for molecular spectroscopy, and in particular it enables us to characterize the dispersion...

Coherent stacking of picosecond laser pulses in a high-Q optical cavity for accelerator applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Androsov, V.P.; Karnaukhov, I.M.; Telegin, Yu.N.

2007-01-01

We have performed the harmonic analysis of the steady-state coherent pulse-stacking process in a high-Q Fabry-Perot cavity. The expression for the stacked pulse shape is obtained as a function of both the laser cavity and pulse-stacking cavity parameters. We have also estimated the pulse power gains attainable in the laser-optical system of NESTOR storage ring, which is under development at Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology. It is shown that high power gains (∼10 4 ) can be, in principle, achieved in a cavity, formed with low-absorption, high reflectivity (R ∼ 0.9999) mirrors, if the laser cavity length will differ exactly by half wavelength from the pulse-stacking cavity length. It implies development of the sophisticated frequency stabilization loop for maintaining the cavity length constant within a sub-nanometer range. At the same time, power gains of ∼10 3 can be obtained with medium reflectivity mirrors (R ∼ 0.999) at considerably lower cost

Propene concentration sensing for combustion gases using quantum-cascade laser absorption near 11 μm

KAUST Repository

Chrystie, Robin

2015-05-29

We report on a strategy to measure, in situ, the concentration of propene (C3H6) in combustion gases using laser absorption spectroscopy. Pyrolysis of n-butane was conducted in a shock tube, in which the resultant gases were probed using an extended cavity quantum-cascade laser. A differential absorption approach using online and offline wavelengths near λ = 10.9 μm enabled discrimination of propene, cancelling the effects of spectral interference from the simultaneous presence of intermediate hydrocarbon species during combustion. Such interference-free measurements were facilitated by exploiting the =C–H bending mode characteristic to alkenes (olefins). It was confirmed, for intermediate species present during pyrolysis of n-butane, that their absorption cross sections were the same magnitude for both online and offline wavelengths. Hence, this allowed time profiles of propene concentration to be measured during pyrolysis of n-butane in a shock tube. Time profiles of propene subsequent to a passing shock wave exhibit trends similar to that predicted by the well-established JetSurF 1.0 chemical kinetic mechanism, albeit lower by a factor of two. Such a laser diagnostic is a first step to experimentally determining propene in real time with sufficient time resolution, thus aiding the refinement and development of chemical kinetic models for combustion. © 2015 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Terahertz GaAs/AlAs quantum-cascade lasers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schrottke, L., E-mail: lutz@pdi-berlin.de; Lü, X.; Rozas, G.; Biermann, K.; Grahn, H. T. [Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik, Hausvogteiplatz 5–7, 10117 Berlin (Germany)

2016-03-07

We have realized GaAs/AlAs quantum-cascade lasers operating at 4.75 THz exhibiting more than three times higher wall plug efficiencies than GaAs/Al{sub 0.25}Ga{sub 0.75}As lasers with an almost identical design. At the same time, the threshold current density at 10 K is reduced from about 350 A/cm{sup 2} for the GaAs/Al{sub 0.25}Ga{sub 0.75}As laser to about 120 A/cm{sup 2} for the GaAs/AlAs laser. Substituting AlAs for Al{sub 0.25}Ga{sub 0.75}As barriers leads to a larger energy separation between the subbands reducing the probability for leakage currents through parasitic states and for reabsorption of the laser light. The higher barriers allow for a shift of the quasi-continuum of states to much higher energies. The use of a binary barrier material may also reduce detrimental effects due to the expected composition fluctuations in ternary alloys.

A sulfur hexafluoride sensor using quantum cascade and CO2 laser-based photoacoustic spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Rocha, Mila; Sthel, Marcelo; Lima, Guilherme; da Silva, Marcelo; Schramm, Delson; Miklós, András; Vargas, Helion

2010-01-01

The increase in greenhouse gas emissions is a serious environmental problem and has stimulated the scientific community to pay attention to the need for detection and monitoring of gases released into the atmosphere. In this regard, the development of sensitive and selective gas sensors has been the subject of several research programs. An important greenhouse gas is sulphur hexafluoride, an almost non-reactive gas widely employed in industrial processes worldwide. Indeed it is estimated that it has a radiative forcing of 0.52 W/m(2). This work compares two photoacoustic spectrometers, one coupled to a CO(2) laser and another one coupled to a Quantum Cascade (QC) laser, for the detection of SF(6). The laser photoacoustic spectrometers described in this work have been developed for gas detection at small concentrations. Detection limits of 20 ppbv for CO(2) laser and 50 ppbv for quantum cascade laser were obtained.

Coherent quantum cascade laser micro-stripe arrays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. M. de Naurois

2011-09-01

Full Text Available We have fabricated InP-based coherent quantum cascade laser micro-stripe arrays. Phase-locking is provided by evanescent coupling between adjacent stripes. Stripes are buried into semi-insulating iron doped InP. Lasing at room temperature is obtained at 8.4μm for stripe arrays comprising up to 16 emitters. Pure supermode emission is demonstrated via farfield measurements and simulations. The farfield pattern shows a dual-lobe emission, corroborating the predicted phase-locked antisymmetric supermode emission.

Laser-induced shockwave propagation from ablation in a cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeng Xianzhong; Mao Xianglei; Mao, Samuel S.; Wen, S.-B.; Greif, Ralph; Russo, Richard E.

2006-01-01

The propagation of laser-induced shockwaves from ablation inside of cavities was determined from time-resolved shadowgraph images. The temperature and electron number density of the laser-induced plasma was determined from spectroscopic measurements. These properties were compared to those for laser ablation on the flat surface under the same energy and background gas condition. A theoretical model was proposed to determine the amount of energy and vaporized mass stored in the vapor plume based on these measurements

Analysis of a wavelength selectable cascaded DFB laser based on the transfer matrix method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie Hongyun; Chen Liang; Shen Pei; Sun Botao; Wang Renqing; Xiao Ying; You Yunxia; Zhang Wanrong

2010-01-01

A novel cascaded DFB laser, which consists of two serial gratings to provide selectable wavelengths, is presented and analyzed by the transfer matrix method. In this method, efficient facet reflectivity is derived from the transfer matrix built for each serial section and is then used to simulate the performance of the novel cascaded DFB laser through self-consistently solving the gain equation, the coupled wave equation and the current continuity equations. The simulations prove the feasibility of this kind of wavelength selectable laser and a corresponding designed device with two selectable wavelengths of 1.51 μm and 1.53 μm is realized by experiments on InP-based multiple quantum well structure. (semiconductor devices)

Cascaded quadratic soliton compression of high-power femtosecond fiber lasers in Lithium Niobate crystals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bache, Morten; Moses, Jeffrey; Wise, Frank W.

2008-01-01

The output of a high-power femtosecond fiber laser is typically 300 fs with a wavelength around $\\lambda=1030-1060$ nm. Our numerical simulations show that cascaded quadratic soliton compression in bulk LiNbO$_3$ can compress such pulses to below 100 fs.......The output of a high-power femtosecond fiber laser is typically 300 fs with a wavelength around $\\lambda=1030-1060$ nm. Our numerical simulations show that cascaded quadratic soliton compression in bulk LiNbO$_3$ can compress such pulses to below 100 fs....

Generation of single-frequency tunable green light in a coupled ring tapered diode laser cavity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Ole Bjarlin; Petersen, Paul Michael

2013-01-01

in the broad wavelength range from 1049 nm to 1093 nm and the beam propagation factor is improved from M2 = 2.8 to below 1.1. The laser frequency is automatically locked to the cavity resonance frequency using optical feedback. Furthermore, we show that this adaptive external cavity approach leads to efficient......We report the realization of a tapered diode laser operated in a coupled ring cavity that significantly improves the coherence properties of the tapered laser and efficiently generates tunable light at the second harmonic frequency. The tapered diode laser is tunable with single-frequency output...... frequency doubling. More than 500 mW green output power is obtained by placing a periodically poled LiNbO3 crystal in the external cavity. The single frequency green output from the laser system is tunable in the 530 nm to 533 nm range limited by the LiNbO3 crystal. The optical to optical conversion...

Laser of optical fiber composed by two coupled cavities: application as optical fiber sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vazquez S, R.A.; Kuzin, E.A.; Ibarra E, B.; May A, M.; Shlyagin, M.; Marquez B, I.

2004-01-01

We show an optical fiber laser sensor which consist of two cavities coupled and three fiber Bragg gratings. We used one Bragg grating (called reference) and two Bragg gratings (called sensors), which have the lower reflection wavelength. The reference grating with the two sensors grating make two cavities: first one is the internal cavity which has 4230 m of length and the another one is the external cavity which has 4277 m of length. Measuring the laser beating frequency for a resonance cavity and moving the frequency peaks when the another cavity is put in resonance, we prove that the arrangement can be used as a two points sensor for determining the difference of temperature or stress between these two points. (Author)

Study of Low Work Function Materials for Hot Cavity Resonance Ionization Laser Ion Sources

CERN Document Server

Catherall, R; Fedosseev, V; Marsh, B; Mattolat, C; Menna, Mariano; Österdahl, F; Raeder, S; Schwellnus, F; Stora, T; Wendt, K; CERN. Geneva. AB Department

2008-01-01

The selectivity of a hot cavity resonance ionization laser ion source (RILIS) is most often limited by contributions from competing surface ionization on the hot walls of the ionization cavity. In this article we present investigations on the properties of designated high-temperature, low-work function materials regarding their performance and suitability as cavity material for RILIS. Tungsten test cavities, impregnated with a mixture of barium oxide and strontium oxide (BaOSrO on W), or alternatively gadolinium hexaboride (GdB6) were studied in comparison to a standard tungsten RILIS cavity as being routinely used for hot cavity laser ionization at ISOLDE. Measurement campaigns took place at the off-line mass separators at ISOLDE / CERN, Geneva and RISIKO / University of Mainz.

Study of low work function materials for hot cavity resonance ionization laser ion sources

CERN Document Server

Schwellnus, F; Crepieux, B; Fedosseev, V N; Marsh, B A; Mattolat, Ch; Menna, M; Österdahl, F K; Raeder, S; Stora, T; Wendta, K

2009-01-01

The selectivity of a hot cavity resonance ionization laser ion source (RILIS) is most often limited by contributions from competing surface ionization of the hot walls of the ionization cavity. In this article we present investigations on the properties of designated high temperature, low work function materials regarding their performance and suitability as cavity material for RILIS. Tungsten test cavities, impregnated with a mixture of barium oxide and strontium oxide (BaOSrO on W), or alternatively gadolinium hexaboride (GdB6) were studied in comparison to a standard tungsten RILIS cavity as being routinely used for hot cavity laser ionization at ISOLDE. Measurement campaigns took place at the off-line mass separators at ISOLDE/CERN, Geneva and RISIKO/University of Mainz.

Metal cutting by radiation from a CO2 laser with a self-filtering cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malikov, A G; Orishich, Anatolii M; Shulyat'ev, Viktor B

2009-01-01

The possibility of quality cutting by radiation from a CO 2 laser with an unstable self-filtering cavity (SFC) is experimentally investigated. The SFC provides the product of the divergence angle by the beam radius close to that for lower modes in a stable cavity (SC), however, at a higher radiation power, which favours faster cutting. In the far-field zone, the SFC beam has a diffraction structure with side maxima, which is usually considered as a negative factor in laser cutting. 25-mm-thick steel slabs have been cut. The comparison of the obtained results with known data on SC lasers shows that the principal characteristics of the cut (the width, edge roughness, specific expenditure of energy) are close in these lasers. A conclusion is made that at the chosen cavity parameters, the specific spatial structure of the SFC laser beam has no significant effect on the cut characteristics. (laser technologies)

Epi-Side-Down Mounting of Interband Cascade Lasers for Army Applications

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Tobin, M. S; Monroy, C. J; Oliver, K. A; Tober, R. L; Bradshaw, J. L; Bruno, J. D; Towner, F. J

2006-01-01

The interband cascade laser, based on the type II energy band alignment in the InAs/GaSb material system, has great potential to meet the power and the wall plug efficiency requirements of many Army applications...

Piezo activated mode tracking system for widely tunable mode-hop-free external cavity mid-IR semiconductor lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Wysocki, Gerard (Inventor); Tittel, Frank K. (Inventor); Curl, Robert F. (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A widely tunable, mode-hop-free semiconductor laser operating in the mid-IR comprises a QCL laser chip having an effective QCL cavity length, a diffraction grating defining a grating angle and an external cavity length with respect to said chip, and means for controlling the QCL cavity length, the external cavity length, and the grating angle. The laser of claim 1 wherein said chip may be tuned over a range of frequencies even in the absence of an anti-reflective coating. The diffraction grating is controllably pivotable and translatable relative to said chip and the effective QCL cavity length can be adjusted by varying the injection current to the chip. The laser can be used for high resolution spectroscopic applications and multi species trace-gas detection. Mode-hopping is avoided by controlling the effective QCL cavity length, the external cavity length, and the grating angle so as to replicate a virtual pivot point.

Hybrid Vertical-Cavity Laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2010-01-01

The present invention provides a light source (2) for light circuits on a silicon platform (3). A vertical laser cavity is formed by a gain region (101) arranged between a top mirror (4) and a bottom grating-mirror (12) in a grating region (11) in a silicon layer (10) on a substrate. A waveguide...... (18, 19) for receiving light from the grating region (11) is formed within or to be connected to the grating region, and functions as an 5 output coupler for the VCL. Thereby, vertical lasing modes (16) are coupled to lateral in-plane modes (17, 20) of the in-plane waveguide formed in the silicon...

Towards passive and active laser stabilization using cavity-enhanced atomic interaction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schäffer, Stefan Alaric; Christensen, Bjarke Takashi Røjle; Rathmann, Stefan Mossor

2017-01-01

Ultra stable frequency references such as the ones used in optical atomic clocks and for quantum metrology may be obtained by stabilizing a laser to an optical cavity that is stable over time. State-of-the-art frequency references are constructed in this way, but their stabilities are currently...... experimental efforts derived from these proposals, to use cavity-enhanced interaction with atomic 88Sr samples as a frequency reference for laser stabilization. Such systems can be realized using both passive and active approaches where either the atomic phase response is used as an error signal, or the narrow...... atomic transition itself is used as a source for a spectrally pure laser. Both approaches shows the promise of being able to compete with the current state of the art in stable lasers and have similar limitations on their ultimately achievable linewidths [1, 2]....

The system of enclosed optical cavities as a tool for laser photons storing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Androsov, V.P.; Karnaukhov, I.M.; Telegin, Yu.N.

2004-01-01

The calculation of the system consisting of two optical cavities enclosed one into another is performed in the plane-wave approximation. It is shown that under definite conditions one can obtain an enhancement of the electromagnetic field in the internal cavity as compared to the case of direct excitation of the cavity with an electromagnetic wave of the same amplitude. The comparative analysis of these two approaches is carried out. We suppose to apply the proposed system with moderate-reflectivity mirrors (R=0.99) for accumulating laser photons in the optical cavity of the X-ray source LESR-N100 based on Compton scattering of the laser beam on relativistic electrons stored in the ring

Continuously tunable monomode mid-infrared vertical external cavity surface emitting laser on Si

Science.gov (United States)

Khiar, A.; Rahim, M.; Fill, M.; Felder, F.; Hobrecker, F.; Zogg, H.

2010-10-01

A tunable PbTe based mid-infrared vertical external cavity surface emitting laser is described. The active part is a ˜1 μm thick PbTe layer grown epitaxially on a Bragg mirror on the Si-substrate. The cavity is terminated with a curved Si/SiO Bragg top mirror and pumped optically with a 1.55 μm laser. Cavity length is <100 μm in order that only one longitudinal mode is supported. By changing the cavity length, up to 5% wavelength continuous and mode-hop free tuning is achieved at fixed temperature. The total tuning extends from 5.6 to 4.7 μm at 100-170 K operation temperature.

Extended electrical tuning of quantum cascade lasers with digital concatenated gratings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Slivken, S.; Bandyopadhyay, N.; Bai, Y.; Lu, Q. Y.; Razeghi, M., E-mail: razeghi@eecs.northwestern.edu [Center for Quantum Devices, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208 (United States)

2013-12-02

In this report, the sampled grating distributed feedback laser architecture is modified with digital concatenated gratings to partially compensate for the wavelength dependence of optical gain in a standard high efficiency quantum cascade laser core. This allows equalization of laser threshold over a wide wavelength range and demonstration of wide electrical tuning. With only two control currents, a full tuning range of 500 nm (236 cm{sup −1}) has been demonstrated. Emission is single mode, with a side mode suppression of >20 dB.

Phase-locked, high power, mid-infrared quantum cascade laser arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, W.; Slivken, S.; Razeghi, M.

2018-04-01

We demonstrate phase-locked, high power quantum cascade laser arrays, which are combined using a monolithic, tree array multimode interferometer, with emission wavelengths around 4.8 μm. A maximum output power of 15 W was achieved from an eight-element laser array, which has only a slightly higher threshold current density and a similar slope efficiency compared to a Fabry-Perot laser of the same length. Calculated multimode interferometer splitting loss is on the order of 0.27 dB for the in-phase supermode. In-phase supermode operation with nearly ideal behavior is demonstrated over the working current range of the array.

Bistable laser device with multiple coupled active vertical-cavity resonators

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, Arthur J.; Choquette, Kent D.; Chow, Weng W.

2003-08-19

A new class of bistable coupled-resonator vertical-cavity semiconductor laser devices has been developed. These bistable laser devices can be switched, either electrically or optically, between lasing and non-lasing states. A switching signal with a power of a fraction of a milliwatt can change the laser output of such a device by a factor of a hundred, thereby enabling a range of optical switching and data encoding applications.

Cavity-soliton laser with frequency-selective feedback

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scroggie, A. J.; Firth, W. J.; Oppo, G.-L.

2009-01-01

We present a coupled-cavity model of a laser with frequency-selective feedback, and use it to analyze and explain the existence of stationary and dynamic spatial solitons in the device. Particular features of soliton addressing in this system are discussed. We demonstrate the advantages of our model with respect to the common Lang-Kobayashi approximation.

Spectral-Modulation Characteristics of Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Vas'kovskaya, M. I.; Vasil'ev, V. V.; Zibrov, S. A.; Yakovlev, V. P.; Velichanskii, V. L.

2018-01-01

The requirements imposed on vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers in a number of metrological problems in which optical pumping of alkali atoms is used are considered. For lasers produced by different manufacturers, these requirements are compared with the experimentally observed spectral characteristics at a constant pump current and in the microwave modulation mode. It is shown that a comparatively small number of lasers in the microwave modulation mode make it possible to obtain the spectrum required for atomic clocks based on the coherent population-trapping effect.

Phase locking and spectral linewidth of a two-mode terahertz quantum cascade laser

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baryshev, A.; Hovenier, J.N.; Adam, A.J.L.; Kašalynas, I.; Gao, J.R.; Klaassen, T.O.; Williams, B.S.; Kumar, S.; Hu, Q.; Reno, J.L.

2006-01-01

We have studied the phase locking and spectral linewidth of an ? 2.7?THz quantum cascade laser by mixing its two lateral lasing modes. The beat signal at about 8?GHz is compared with a microwave reference by applying conventional phase lock loop circuitry with feedback to the laser bias current.

Highly efficient generation of ultraintense high-energy ion beams using laser-induced cavity pressure acceleration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Badziak, J.; Jablonski, S.; Raczka, P. [Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion, Euratom Association, 01-497 Warsaw (Poland)

2012-08-20

Results of particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations of fast ion generation in the recently proposed laser-induced cavity pressure acceleration (LICPA) scheme in which a picosecond circularly polarized laser pulse of intensity {approx}10{sup 21} W/cm{sup 2} irradiates a carbon target placed in a cavity are presented. It is shown that due to circulation of the laser pulse in the cavity, the laser-ions energy conversion efficiency in the LICPA scheme is more than twice as high as that for the conventional (without a cavity) radiation pressure acceleration scheme and a quasi-monoenergetic carbon ion beam of the mean ion energy {approx}0.5 GeV and the energy fluence {approx}0.5 GJ/cm{sup 2} is produced with the efficiency {approx}40%. The results of PIC simulations are found to be in fairly good agreement with the predictions of the generalized light-sail model.

Tuning range and output power optimization of an external-cavity GaN diode laser at 455 nm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chi, Mingjun; Jensen, Ole Bjarlin; Petersen, Paul Michael

2016-01-01

In this paper we discuss how different feedback gratings affect the tuning range and the output power of external feedback diode laser systems. A tunable high-power narrow-spectrum external-cavity diode laser system around 455 nm is investigated. The laser system is based on a high-power GaN diode...... laser in a Littrow external-cavity. Both a holographic diffraction grating and a ruled diffraction grating are used as feedback elements in the external cavity. The output power, spectral bandwidth, and tunable range of the external cavity diode laser system are measured and compared with the two...... gratings at different injected currents. When the holographic grating is used, the laser system can be tuned over a range of 1.4 nm with an output power around 530 mW. When the ruled grating is used, the laser system can be tuned over a range of 6.0 nm with an output power around 80 mW. The results can...

Study of the Propagation of Short Pulse Laser With Cavity Using ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The purpose of this representation is to show the potentialities (Computational Time, access to the dynamic and feasibility of systematic studies) of the numerical study of the nonlinear dynamics in laser cavity, assisted by software. We will give as an example, one type of cavity completely fibered composed of several ...

Tunable Microcavity-Stabilized Quantum Cascade Laser for Mid-IR High-Resolution Spectroscopy and Sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Borri, Simone; Siciliani de Cumis, Mario; Insero, Giacomo; Bartalini, Saverio; Cancio Pastor, Pablo; Mazzotti, Davide; Galli, Iacopo; Giusfredi, Giovanni; Santambrogio, Gabriele; Savchenkov, Anatoliy; Eliyahu, Danny; Ilchenko, Vladimir; Akikusa, Naota; Matsko, Andrey; Maleki, Lute; De Natale, Paolo

2016-02-17

The need for highly performing and stable methods for mid-IR molecular sensing and metrology pushes towards the development of more and more compact and robust systems. Among the innovative solutions aimed at answering the need for stable mid-IR references are crystalline microresonators, which have recently shown excellent capabilities for frequency stabilization and linewidth narrowing of quantum cascade lasers with compact setups. In this work, we report on the first system for mid-IR high-resolution spectroscopy based on a quantum cascade laser locked to a CaF₂ microresonator. Electronic locking narrows the laser linewidth by one order of magnitude and guarantees good stability over long timescales, allowing, at the same time, an easy way for finely tuning the laser frequency over the molecular absorption line. Improvements in terms of resolution and frequency stability of the source are demonstrated by direct sub-Doppler recording of a molecular line.

Development of superconducting acceleration cavity technology for free electron lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jong Min; Lee, Byung Cheol; Kim, Sun Kook; Jeong, Young Uk; Cho, Sung Oh

2000-10-01

As a result of the cooperative research between the KAERI and Peking University, the key technologies of superconducting acceleration cavity and photoelectron gun have been developed for the application to high power free electron lasers. A 1.5-GHz, 1-cell superconducting RF cavity has been designed and fabricated by using pure Nb sheets. The unloaded Q values of the fabricated superconducting cavity has been measured to be 2x10 9 at 2.5K, and 8x10 9 at 1.8K. The maximum acceleration gradient achieved was 12 MeV/m at 2.5K, and 20MV/m at 1.8 K. A cryostat for the 1-cell superconducting cavity has been designed. As a source of electron beam, a DC photocathode electron gun has been designed and fabricated, which is composed of a photocathode evaporation chamber and a 100-keV acceleration chamber. The efficiency of the Cs2Te photocathode is 3% nominally at room temperature, 10% at 290 deg C. The superconducting photoelectron gun system developed has been estimated to be a good source of high-brightness electron beam for high-power free electron lasers

Development of superconducting acceleration cavity technology for free electron lasers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jong Min; Lee, Byung Cheol; Kim, Sun Kook; Jeong, Young Uk; Cho, Sung Oh

2000-10-01

As a result of the cooperative research between the KAERI and Peking University, the key technologies of superconducting acceleration cavity and photoelectron gun have been developed for the application to high power free electron lasers. A 1.5-GHz, 1-cell superconducting RF cavity has been designed and fabricated by using pure Nb sheets. The unloaded Q values of the fabricated superconducting cavity has been measured to be 2x10{sup 9} at 2.5K, and 8x10{sup 9} at 1.8K. The maximum acceleration gradient achieved was 12 MeV/m at 2.5K, and 20MV/m at 1.8 K. A cryostat for the 1-cell superconducting cavity has been designed. As a source of electron beam, a DC photocathode electron gun has been designed and fabricated, which is composed of a photocathode evaporation chamber and a 100-keV acceleration chamber. The efficiency of the Cs2Te photocathode is 3% nominally at room temperature, 10% at 290 deg C. The superconducting photoelectron gun system developed has been estimated to be a good source of high-brightness electron beam for high-power free electron lasers.

Phase locking and spectral linewidth of a two-mode terahertz quantum cascade laser

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baryshev, A.; Hovenier, J. N.; Adam, A. J. L.; Kašalynas, I.; Gao, J. R.; Klaassen, T. O.; Williams, B. S.; Kumar, S.; Hu, Q.; Reno, J. L.

2006-01-01

We have studied the phase locking and spectral linewidth of an ˜2.7THz quantum cascade laser by mixing its two lateral lasing modes. The beat signal at about 8GHz is compared with a microwave reference by applying conventional phase lock loop circuitry with feedback to the laser bias current. Phase

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers for medical diagnosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ansbæk, Thor

This thesis deals with the design and fabrication of tunable Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs). The focus has been the application of tunable VCSELs in medical diagnostics, specifically OCT. VCSELs are candidates as light sources for swept-source OCT where their high sweep rate, wide...

Breaking and Moving Hotspots in a Large Grain Nb Cavity with a Laser Beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ciovati, G.; Cheng, G.; Flood, R. J.; Jordan, K.; Kneisel, P.; Morrone, M. L.; Turlington, L.; Wilson, K. M.; Zhang, S.; Anlage, S. M.; Gurevich, A. V.; Nemes, G.; Baldwin, C.

2011-01-01

Magnetic vortices pinned near the inner surface of SRF Nb cavities are a possible source of RF hotspots, frequently observed by temperature mapping of the cavities outer surface at RF surface magnetic fields of about 100 mT. Theoretically, we expect that the thermal gradient provided by a 10 W green laser shining on the inner cavity surface at the RF hotspot locations can move pinned vortices to different pinning locations. The experimental apparatus to send the beam onto the inner surface of a photoinjector-type large-grain Nb cavity is described. Preliminary results on the changes in thermal maps observed after applying the laser heating are also reported

Dependence of mis-alignment sensitivity of ring laser gyro cavity on cavity parameters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun Feng; Zhang Xi; Zhang Hongbo; Yang Changcheng, E-mail: sunok1234@sohu.com [Huazhong Institute of Electro-Optics - Wuhan National Lab for Optoelectronics, Wuhan, Hubei (China)

2011-02-01

The ring laser gyroscope (RLG), as a rotation sensor, has been widely used for navigation and guidance on vehicles and missiles. The environment of strong random-vibration and large acceleration may deteriorate the performance of the RLG due to the vibration-induced tilting of the mirrors. In this paper the RLG performance is theoretically analyzed and the parameters such as the beam diameter at the aperture, cavity mirror alignment sensitivities and power loss due to the mirror tilting are calculated. It is concluded that by carefully choosing the parameters, the significant loss in laser power can be avoided.

Optical re-injection in cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leen, J. Brian, E-mail: b.leen@lgrinc.com; O’Keefe, Anthony [Los Gatos Research, 67 E. Evelyn Avenue, Suite 3, Mountain View, California 94041 (United States)

2014-09-15

Non-mode-matched cavity-enhanced absorption spectrometry (e.g., cavity ringdown spectroscopy and integrated cavity output spectroscopy) is commonly used for the ultrasensitive detection of trace gases. These techniques are attractive for their simplicity and robustness, but their performance may be limited by the reflection of light from the front mirror and the resulting low optical transmission. Although this low transmitted power can sometimes be overcome with higher power lasers and lower noise detectors (e.g., in the near-infrared), many regimes exist where the available light intensity or photodetector sensitivity limits instrument performance (e.g., in the mid-infrared). In this article, we describe a method of repeatedly re-injecting light reflected off the front mirror of the optical cavity to boost the cavity's circulating power and deliver more light to the photodetector and thus increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the absorption measurement. We model and experimentally demonstrate the method's performance using off-axis cavity ringdown spectroscopy (OA-CRDS) with a broadly tunable external cavity quantum cascade laser. The power coupled through the cavity to the detector is increased by a factor of 22.5. The cavity loss is measured with a precision of 2 × 10{sup −10} cm{sup −1}/√(Hz;) an increase of 12 times over the standard off-axis configuration without reinjection and comparable to the best reported sensitivities in the mid-infrared. Finally, the re-injected CRDS system is used to measure the spectrum of several volatile organic compounds, demonstrating the improved ability to resolve weakly absorbing spectroscopic features.

Comparison of Dentin Permeability After Tooth Cavity Preparation with Diamond Bur and Er:YAG Laser

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masoumeh Hasani Tabatabaei

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the permeability of dentin after using diamond bur and Er:YAG laser.Materials and Methods: Seventy-two recently extracted, intact, and restoration-free human permanent molars were used in this study. The samples were randomly divided into three groups of 24 each and class I cavities were prepared as follows. Group 1: High speed diamond bur with air and water spray. Group 2: Er:YAG laser. Group 3: Er:YAG laser followed by additional sub-ablative laser treatment. Each group consisted of two subgroups with different cavity depths of 2mm and 4mm.  The entire cavity floor was in dentin. Two samples from each subgroup were observed under scanning electron microscope (SEM. The external surfaces of other samples were covered with nail varnish (except the prepared cavity and immersed in 0.5% methylene blue solution for 48 hours.  After irrigation of samples with water, they were sectioned in bucco-lingual direction. Then, the samples were evaluated under a stereomicroscope at ×160 magnification. The data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD test.Results: Two-way ANOVA showed significant difference in permeability between groups 2 and 3 (laser groups with and without further treatment and group 1 (bur group. The highest permeability was seen in the group 1. There was no significant difference in dentin permeability between groups 2 and 3 and no significant difference was observed between different depths (2mm and 4mm.Conclusion: Cavities prepared by laser have less dentin permeability than cavities prepared by diamond bur.

High-accuracy and high-sensitivity spectroscopic measurement of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) in an atmospheric simulation chamber using a quantum cascade laser.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Hongming; Wu, Tao; Lauraguais, Amélie; Semenov, Vladimir; Coeur, Cecile; Cassez, Andy; Fertein, Eric; Gao, Xiaoming; Chen, Weidong

2017-12-04

A spectroscopic instrument based on a mid-infrared external cavity quantum cascade laser (EC-QCL) was developed for high-accuracy measurements of dinitrogen pentoxide (N 2 O 5 ) at the ppbv-level. A specific concentration retrieval algorithm was developed to remove, from the broadband absorption spectrum of N 2 O 5 , both etalon fringes resulting from the EC-QCL intrinsic structure and spectral interference lines of H 2 O vapour absorption, which led to a significant improvement in measurement accuracy and detection sensitivity (by a factor of 10), compared to using a traditional algorithm for gas concentration retrieval. The developed EC-QCL-based N 2 O 5 sensing platform was evaluated by real-time tracking N 2 O 5 concentration in its most important nocturnal tropospheric chemical reaction of NO 3 + NO 2 ↔ N 2 O 5 in an atmospheric simulation chamber. Based on an optical absorption path-length of L eff = 70 m, a minimum detection limit of 15 ppbv was achieved with a 25 s integration time and it was down to 3 ppbv in 400 s. The equilibrium rate constant K eq involved in the above chemical reaction was determined with direct concentration measurements using the developed EC-QCL sensing platform, which was in good agreement with the theoretical value deduced from a referenced empirical formula under well controlled experimental conditions. The present work demonstrates the potential and the unique advantage of the use of a modern external cavity quantum cascade laser for applications in direct quantitative measurement of broadband absorption of key molecular species involved in chemical kinetic and climate-change related tropospheric chemistry.

Tunable Microcavity-Stabilized Quantum Cascade Laser for Mid-IR High-Resolution Spectroscopy and Sensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simone Borri

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The need for highly performing and stable methods for mid-IR molecular sensing and metrology pushes towards the development of more and more compact and robust systems. Among the innovative solutions aimed at answering the need for stable mid-IR references are crystalline microresonators, which have recently shown excellent capabilities for frequency stabilization and linewidth narrowing of quantum cascade lasers with compact setups. In this work, we report on the first system for mid-IR high-resolution spectroscopy based on a quantum cascade laser locked to a CaF2 microresonator. Electronic locking narrows the laser linewidth by one order of magnitude and guarantees good stability over long timescales, allowing, at the same time, an easy way for finely tuning the laser frequency over the molecular absorption line. Improvements in terms of resolution and frequency stability of the source are demonstrated by direct sub-Doppler recording of a molecular line.

Resonator modes and mode dynamics for an external cavity-coupled laser array

Science.gov (United States)

Nair, Niketh; Bochove, Erik J.; Aceves, Alejandro B.; Zunoubi, Mohammad R.; Braiman, Yehuda

2015-03-01

Employing a Fox-Li approach, we derived the cold-cavity mode structure and a coupled mode theory for a phased array of N single-transverse-mode active waveguides with feedback from an external cavity. We applied the analysis to a system with arbitrary laser lengths, external cavity design and coupling strengths to the external cavity. The entire system was treated as a single resonator. The effect of the external cavity was modeled by a set of boundary conditions expressed by an N-by-N frequency-dependent matrix relation between incident and reflected fields at the interface with the external cavity. The coupled mode theory can be adapted to various types of gain media and internal and external cavity designs.

Cascade generation in Al laser induced plasma

Science.gov (United States)

Nagli, Lev; Gaft, Michael; Raichlin, Yosef; Gornushkin, Igor

2018-05-01

We found cascade IR generation in Al laser induced plasma. This generation includes doublet transitions 3s 25s 2S1/2 → 3s24p 2P1/2,3/2 → 3s24s 2S1/2; corresponding to strong lines at 2110 and 2117 nm, and much weaker lines at 1312-1315 nm. The 3s25s2S 1/2 starting IR generation level is directly pumped from the 3s23p 2P3/2 ground level. The starting level for UV generation at 396.2 nm (transitions 3s24s 2S1/2 → 4p 2P3/2) is populated due to the fast collisional processes in the plasma plume. These differences led to different time and special dependences on the lasing in the IR and UV spectral range within the aluminum laser induced plasma.

Piezoelectric deformable mirror for intra-cavity laser adaptive optics.

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Long, CS

2008-03-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the development of a deformable mirror to be used in conjunction with diffractive optical elements inside a laser cavity. A prototype piezoelectric unimorph adaptive mirror was developed to correct for time dependent phase...

A narrow linewidth tunable single longitudinal mode Ga-EDF fiber laser

Science.gov (United States)

Mohamed Halip, N. H.; Abu Bakar, M. H.; Latif, A. A.; Muhd-Yasin, S. Z.; Zulkifli, M. I.; Mat-Sharif, K. A.; Omar, N. Y. M.; Mansoor, A.; Abdul-Rashid, H. A.; Mahdi, M. A.

2018-05-01

A tunable ring cavity single longitudinal mode (SLM) fiber laser incorporating Gallium-Erbium co-doped fiber (Ga-EDF) gain medium and several mode filtration techniques is demonstrated. With Ga-EDF, high emission power was accorded in short fiber length, allowing shorter overall cavity length and wider free spectral range. Tunable bandpass filter, sub-ring structure, and cascaded dissimilar fiber taper were utilized to filter multi-longitudinal modes. Each of the filter mechanism was tested individually within the laser cavity to assess its performance. Once the performance of each filter was obtained, all of them were deployed into the laser system. Ultimately, the 1561.47 nm SLM laser achieved a narrow linewidth laser, optical signal-to-noise ratio, and power fluctuation of 1.19 kHz, 61.52 dB and 0.16 dB, respectively. This work validates the feasibility of Ga-EDF to attain a stable SLM output in simple laser configuration.

Ultrafast Optics: Vector Cavity Laser - Physics and Technology

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-14

with a quasi- vector cavity both numerically and experimentally. It is expected that through the study a deep and comprehensive understanding on the...799-801, Jun. 1997. 31. L. M. Zhao, D. Y. Tang, J. Wu, X. Q. Fu, and S. C. Wen , "Noise-like pulse in a gain-guided soliton fiber laser," Opt...solitons in a ring fiber laser," Optics Communications 281 (22), 5614 (2008). 110. L. M. Zhao, D. Y. Tang, J. Wu, X. Q. Fu, and S. C. Wen , "Noise-like

Ultrafast Optics - Vector Cavity Lasers: Physics and Technology

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-14

with a quasi- vector cavity both numerically and experimentally. It is expected that through the study a deep and comprehensive understanding on the...799-801, Jun. 1997. 31. L. M. Zhao, D. Y. Tang, J. Wu, X. Q. Fu, and S. C. Wen , "Noise-like pulse in a gain-guided soliton fiber laser," Opt...solitons in a ring fiber laser," Optics Communications 281 (22), 5614 (2008). 110. L. M. Zhao, D. Y. Tang, J. Wu, X. Q. Fu, and S. C. Wen , "Noise-like

Laser polishing for topography management of accelerator cavity surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Liang [College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA (United States); Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States); Klopf, J. Mike [College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA (United States); Reece, Charles E. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States); Kelley, Michael J. [College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA (United States); Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (TJNAF), Newport News, VA (United States)

2015-07-20

Improved energy efficiency and reduced cost are greatly desired for advanced particle accelerators. Progress toward both can be made by atomically-smoothing the interior surface of the niobium superconducting radiofrequency accelerator cavities at the machine's heart. Laser polishing offers a green alternative to the present aggressive chemical processes. We found parameters suitable for polishing niobium in all surface states expected for cavity production. As a result, careful measurement of the resulting surface chemistry revealed a modest thinning of the surface oxide layer, but no contamination.

Low-photon-number optical switch and AND/OR logic gates based on quantum dot-bimodal cavity coupling system.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Shen; Ye, Han; Yu, Zhong-Yuan; Zhang, Wen; Peng, Yi-Wei; Cheng, Xiang; Liu, Yu-Min

2016-01-11

We propose a new scheme based on quantum dot-bimodal cavity coupling system to realize all-optical switch and logic gates in low-photon-number regime. Suppression of mode transmission due to the destructive interference effect is theoretically demonstrated by driving the cavity with two orthogonally polarized pulsed lasers at certain pulse delay. The transmitted mode can be selected by designing laser pulse sequence. The optical switch with high on-off ratio emerges when considering one driving laser as the control. Moreover, the AND/OR logic gates based on photon polarization are achieved by cascading the coupling system. Both proposed optical switch and logic gates work well in ultra-low energy magnitude. Our work may enable various applications of all-optical computing and quantum information processing.

Infrared laser spectroscopic trace gas sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Sigrist, Markus

2016-04-01

Chemical sensing and analyses of gas samples by laser spectroscopic methods are attractive owing to several advantages such as high sensitivity and specificity, large dynamic range, multi-component capability, and lack of pretreatment or preconcentration procedures. The preferred wavelength range comprises the fundamental molecular absorption range in the mid-infared between 3 and 15 μm, whereas the near-infrared range covers the (10-100 times weaker) higher harmonics and combination bands. The availability of near-infrared and, particularly, of broadly tunable mid-infrared sources like external cavity quantum cascade lasers (EC-QCLs), interband cascade lasers (ICLs), difference frequency generation (DFG), optical parametric oscillators (OPOs), recent developments of diode-pumped lead salt semiconductor lasers, of supercontinuum sources or of frequency combs have eased the implementation of laser-based sensing devices. Sensitive techniques for molecular absorption measurements include multipass absorption, various configurations of cavity-enhanced techniques such as cavity ringdown (CRD), or of photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) including quartz-enhanced (QEPAS) or cantilever-enhanced (CEPAS) techniques. The application requirements finally determine the optimum selection of laser source and detection scheme. In this tutorial talk I shall discuss the basic principles, present various experimental setups and illustrate the performance of selected systems for chemical sensing of selected key atmospheric species. Applications include an early example of continuous vehicle emission measurements with a mobile CO2-laser PAS system [1]. The fast analysis of C1-C4 alkanes at sub-ppm concentrations in gas mixtures is of great interest for the petrochemical industry and was recently achieved with a new type of mid-infrared diode-pumped piezoelectrically tuned lead salt vertical external cavity surface emitting laser (VECSEL) [2]. Another example concerns measurements on short

Defence and security applications of quantum cascade lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Grasso, Robert J.

2016-09-01

Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCL) have seen tremendous recent application in the realm of Defence and Security. And, in many instances replacing traditional solid state lasers as the source of choice for Countermeasures, Remote Sensing, In-situ Sensing, Through-Barrier Sensing, and many others. Following their development and demonstration in the early 1990's, QCL's reached some maturity and specific defence and security application prior to 2005; with much initial development fostered by DARPA initiatives in the US, dstl, MoD, and EOARD funding initiatives in the UK, and University level R&D such as those by Prof Manijeh Razeghi at Northwestern University [1], and Prof Ted Masselink at Humboldt University [2]. As QCL's provide direct mid-IR laser output for electrical input, they demonstrate high quantum efficiency compared with diode pumped solid state lasers with optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) to generate mid-Infrared output. One particular advantage of QCL's is their very broad operational bandwidth, extending from the terahertz to the near-infrared spectral regions. Defence and Security areas benefiting from QCL's include: Countermeasures, Remote Sensing, Through-the-Wall Sensing, and Explosive Detection. All information used to construct this paper obtained from open sources.

Phase Locking of Laser Diode Array by Using an Off-Axis External Talbot Cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su Zhou-Ping; Zhu Zhuo-Wei; Que Li-Zhi; Zhu Yun; Ji Zhi-Cheng

2012-01-01

Phase locking of a laser diode array is demonstrated experimentally by using an off-axis external Talbot cavity with a feedback plane mirror. Due to good spatial mode discrimination, the cavity does not need a spatial filter. By employing the cavity, a clear and stable far-field interference pattern can be observed when the driver current is less than 14 A. In addition, the spectral line width can be reduced to 0.8 nm. The slope efficiency of the phase-locked laser diode array is about 0.62 W/A. (fundamental areas of phenomenology(including applications))

Design of a high-power Nd:YAG Q-switched laser cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Ikbal; Kumar, Avinash; Nijhawan, O. P.

1995-06-01

An electro-optically Q-switched Nd:YAG laser resonator that uses two end prisms placed orthogonally perpendicular to each other has been designed. This configuration improves the stability of the resonator and does not alter the characteristics of the electro-optical Q switch. The outcoupling ratio of the cavity is optimized by a change in the azimuthal angle of a phase-matched Porro prism placed at one end of the cavity. The prism placed at the other end of the cavity is designed so that it introduces a phase change of Pi , regardless of its orientation and index of refraction, resulting in a more efficient and stable cavity.

A pulsated weak-resonant-cavity laser diode with transient wavelength scanning and tracking for injection-locked RZ transmission.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Gong-Ru; Chi, Yu-Chieh; Liao, Yu-Sheng; Kuo, Hao-Chung; Liao, Zhi-Wang; Wang, Hai-Lin; Lin, Gong-Cheng

2012-06-18

By spectrally slicing a single longitudinal-mode from a master weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diode with transient wavelength scanning and tracking functions, the broadened self-injection-locking of a slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diode is demonstrated to achieve bi-directional transmission in a 200-GHz array-waveguide-grating channelized dense-wavelength-division-multiplexing passive optical network system. Both the down- and up-stream slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diodes are non-return-to-zero modulated below threshold and coherently injection-locked to deliver the pulsed carrier for 25-km bi-directional 2.5 Gbits/s return-to-zero transmission. The master weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diode is gain-switched at near threshold condition and delivers an optical coherent pulse-train with its mode linewidth broadened from 0.2 to 0.8 nm by transient wavelength scanning, which facilitates the broadband injection-locking of the slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diodes with a threshold current reducing by 10 mA. Such a transient wavelength scanning induced spectral broadening greatly releases the limitation on wavelength injection-locking range required for the slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diode. The theoretical modeling and numerical simulation on the wavelength scanning and tracking effects of the master and slave weak-resonant-cavity Fabry-Perot laser diodes are performed. The receiving power sensitivity for back-to-back transmission at bit-error-rate transmission is less than 2 dB for all 16 channels.

A mode-locked external-cavity quantum-dot laser with a variable repetition rate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Jian; Jin Peng; Li Xin-Kun; Wei Heng; Wu Yan-Hua; Wang Fei-Fei; Chen Hong-Mei; Wu Ju; Wang Zhan-Guo

2013-01-01

A mode-locked external-cavity laser emitting at 1.17-μm wavelength using an InAs/GaAs quantum-dot gain medium and a discrete semiconductor saturable absorber mirror is demonstrated. By changing the external-cavity length, repetition rates of 854, 912, and 969 MHz are achieved respectively. The narrowest −3-dB radio-frequency linewidth obtained is 38 kHz, indicating that the laser is under stable mode-locking operation. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

Wavelength tunable CW red laser generated based on an intracavity-SFG composite cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Z. N.; Bai, Y.; Lei, G. Z.; Bai, B.; Sun, Y. X.; Hu, M. X.; Wang, C.; Bai, J. T.

2016-12-01

We report a wavelength-tunable watt-level continuous wave (CW) red laser that uses a composite cavity based on an intracavity sum-frequency generation (SFG). The composite cavity is composed of a LD side-pumped Nd: GdVO4 p-polarized 1062.9 nm resonant cavity and a resonant optical parametric oscillator (SRO) of s-polarized signal light using a periodically poled crystal MgO: PPLN. Based on the temperature tuning from 30 °C to 200 °C, the CW red laser beams are obtained in a tunable waveband from 634.4 nm to 649.1 nm, corresponding to a tunable output waveband from 3278.0 nm to 2940.2 nm of the mid-infrared idler lights. The maximum CW output power of the red laser at 634.4 nm and the idler light at 3278.0 nm reach 3.03 W and 4.13 W under 30 °C, respectively.

Spectrally high performing quantum cascade lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Toor, Fatima

Quantum cascade (QC) lasers are versatile semiconductor light sources that can be engineered to emit light of almost any wavelength in the mid- to far-infrared (IR) and terahertz region from 3 to 300 mum [1-5]. Furthermore QC laser technology in the mid-IR range has great potential for applications in environmental, medical and industrial trace gas sensing [6-10] since several chemical vapors have strong rovibrational frequencies in this range and are uniquely identifiable by their absorption spectra through optical probing of absorption and transmission. Therefore, having a wide range of mid-IR wavelengths in a single QC laser source would greatly increase the specificity of QC laser-based spectroscopic systems, and also make them more compact and field deployable. This thesis presents work on several different approaches to multi-wavelength QC laser sources that take advantage of band-structure engineering and the uni-polar nature of QC lasers. Also, since for chemical sensing, lasers with narrow linewidth are needed, work is presented on a single mode distributed feedback (DFB) QC laser. First, a compact four-wavelength QC laser source, which is based on a 2-by-2 module design, with two waveguides having QC laser stacks for two different emission wavelengths each, one with 7.0 mum/11.2 mum, and the other with 8.7 mum/12.0 mum is presented. This is the first design of a four-wavelength QC laser source with widely different emission wavelengths that uses minimal optics and electronics. Second, since there are still several unknown factors that affect QC laser performance, results on a first ever study conducted to determine the effects of waveguide side-wall roughness on QC laser performance using the two-wavelength waveguides is presented. The results are consistent with Rayleigh scattering effects in the waveguides, with roughness effecting shorter wavelengths more than longer wavelengths. Third, a versatile time-multiplexed multi-wavelength QC laser system that

5.5 W of Diffraction-Limited Green Light Generated by SFG of Tapered Diode Lasers in a Cascade of Nonlinear Crystals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Anders Kragh; Jensen, Ole Bjarlin; Andersen, Peter Eskil

2015-01-01

Diode-based high power visible lasers are perfect pump sources for, e.g., titaniumsapphire lasers. The combination of favorable scaling laws in both SFG and cascading of nonlinear crystals allows access to unprecedented powers in diode-based systems.......Diode-based high power visible lasers are perfect pump sources for, e.g., titaniumsapphire lasers. The combination of favorable scaling laws in both SFG and cascading of nonlinear crystals allows access to unprecedented powers in diode-based systems....

Operational characteristics of dual gain single cavity Nd:YVO 4 laser

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Operational characteristics of a dual gain single cavity Nd:YVO4 laser have been investigated. With semiconductor diode laser pump power of 2 W, 800 mW output was obtained with a slope efficiency of 49%. Further, by changing the relative orientation of the two crystals the polarization characteristics of the output could be ...

Sub-nanometrically resolved chemical mappings of quantum-cascade laser active regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pantzas, Konstantinos; Beaudoin, Grégoire; Patriarche, Gilles; Largeau, Ludovic; Mauguin, Olivia; Sagnes, Isabelle; Pegolotti, Giulia; Vasanelli, Angela; Calvar, Ariane; Amanti, Maria; Sirtori, Carlo

2016-01-01

A procedure that produces sub-nanometrically resolved chemical mappings of MOCVD-grown InGaAs/InAlAs/InP quantum cascade lasers is presented. The chemical mappings reveal that, although the structure is lattice-matched to InP, the InAlAs barriers do not attain the nominal aluminum content—48%—and are, in fact, InGaAlAs quaternaries. This information is used to adjust the aluminum precursor flow and fine-tune the composition of the barriers, resulting in a significant improvement of the fabricated lasers. (paper)

Fast continuous tuning of terahertz quantum-cascade lasers by rear-facet illumination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hempel, Martin, E-mail: hempel@pdi-berlin.de; Röben, Benjamin; Schrottke, Lutz; Grahn, Holger T. [Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik, Leibniz-Institut im Forschungsverbund Berlin e. V., Hausvogteiplatz 5–7, 10117 Berlin (Germany); Hübers, Heinz-Wilhelm [Institute of Optical Sensor Systems, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Rutherfordstr. 2, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Department of Physics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Newtonstr. 15, 12489 Berlin (Germany)

2016-05-09

GaAs-based terahertz quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs) are continuously tuned in their emission frequency by illuminating the rear facet with a near-infrared, high-power diode laser. For QCLs emitting around 3.1 THz, the maximum tuning range amounts to 2.8 GHz for continuous-wave operation at a heat sink temperature of 55 K, while in pulsed mode 9.1 and 8.0 GHz are achieved at 35 and 55 K, respectively.

Integrated lasers in crystalline double tungstates with focused-ion-beam nanostructured photonic cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ay, F; Iñurrategui, I; Geskus, D; Aravazhi, S; Pollnau, M

2011-01-01

Deeply etched Bragg gratings were fabricated by focused ion beam (FIB) milling in KGd x Lu 1-x (WO 4 ) 2 :Yb 3+ to obtain photonic cavity structures. By optimizing parameters such as dose per area, dwell time and pixel resolution the redeposition effects were minimized and grating structures more than 4 μm in depth with an improved sidewall angle of ∼ 5° were achieved. Fabry-Perot microcavities were defined and used to assess the optical performance of the grating structures at ∼ 1530 nm. An on-chip integrated laser cavity at ∼ 980 nm was achieved by defining a FIB reflective grating and FIB polished waveguide end-facet. With this cavity, an on-chip integrated waveguide laser in crystalline potassium double tungstate was demonstrated

Method for studying gas composition in the human mastoid cavity by use of laser spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindberg, Sven; Lewander, Märta; Svensson, Tomas; Siemund, Roger; Svanberg, Katarina; Svanberg, Sune

2012-04-01

We evaluated a method for gas monitoring in the mastoid cavity using tunable diode laser spectroscopy by comparing it to simultaneously obtained computed tomographic (CT) scans. The presented optical technique measures free gases, oxygen (O2), and water vapor (H2O) within human tissue by use of low-power diode lasers. Laser light was sent into the tip of the mastoid process, and the emerging light at the level of the antrum was captured with a detector placed on the skin. The absorption of H2O was used to monitor the probed gas volume of the mastoid cavity, and it was compared to the CT scan-measured volume. The ratio between O2 absorption and H2O absorption estimated the O2 content in the mastoid cavity and thus the ventilation. The parameters were compared to the grading of mastoid cavities based on the CT scans (n = 31). The reproducibility of the technique was investigated by measuring each mastoid cavity 4 times. Both O2 and H2O were detected with good reproducibility. The H2O absorption and the CT volume correlated (r = 0.69). The average ratio between the normalized O2 absorption and the H2O absorption signals was 0.7, indicating a lower O2 content than in surrounding air (expected ratio, 1.0), which is consistent with previous findings made by invasive techniques. All mastoid cavities with radiologic signs of disease were detected. Laser spectroscopy monitoring appears to be a usable tool for noninvasive investigations of gas composition in the mastoid cavity, providing important clinical information regarding size and ventilation.

A SESAM passively mode-locked fiber laser with a long cavity including a band pass filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Rui; Chen, Hong-Wei; Chen, Sheng-Ping; Hou, Jing; Lu, Qi-Sheng

2011-01-01

A semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) passively mode-locked fiber laser with a long cavity length over 700 m is demonstrated. A band pass filter is inserted into the laser cavity to stabilize the lasing wavelength. Some interesting phenomena are observed and discussed. The central wavelength, repetition rate, average power and single pulse energy of the laser are 1064 nm, 281.5 kHz, 11 mW and 39 nJ, respectively. The laser operates stably without Q-switching instabilities, which greatly reduces the damage opportunities of the SESAM

Measuring the Dispersion in Laser Cavity Mirrors using White-Light Interferometry

Science.gov (United States)

2008-03-01

mirrors. Two AlGaInP (aluminum gallium indium phosphide ) diode lasers are aligned such that one is polarized vertically while one is polarized...linear crystals, where the index of refraction depends on beam intensity. Short pulses with high peak intensities are well 14 suited to induce the...MEASURING THE DISPERSION OF LASER CAVITY MIRRORS USING WHITE-LIGHT INTERFEROMETRY THESIS Allison S

Coherent addition of high power broad-area laser diodes with a compact VBG V-shaped external Talbot cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Bo; Braiman, Yehuda

2018-05-01

We introduced a compact V-shaped external Talbot cavity for phase locking of high power broad-area laser diodes. The length of compact cavity is ∼25 mm. Near diffraction-limit coherent addition of 10 broad-area laser diodes indicated that high quality phase locking was achieved. We measured the near-field emission mode of each individual broad-area laser diode with different feedback, such as a volume Bragg grating and a high reflection mirror. We found out that the best result of phase locking broad-area laser diodes was achieved by the compact V-shaped external Talbot cavity with volume Bragg grating feedback.

Cavity Enhanced Absorption Spectroscopy in Air Pollution Monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janusz MIKOŁAJCZYK

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The paper presents some practical aspects of cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy application in detection of nitrogen dioxide (NO2, nitrous oxide (N2O, nitric oxide (NO and carbon monoxide (CO. These gases are very important for monitoring of environment. There are shown results of lab-setups for N2O, NO, CO detection and portable sensor of NO2. The portable instrument operates in the UV spectral range and reaches a level of single ppb. The lab–devices use high precision mid-infrared spectroscopy and they was demonstrated during testing the laboratory air. These sensors are able to measure concentration at the ppb level using quantum cascade lasers, high quality optical cavities and modern MCT detection modules. It makes it possible to apply such sensors in monitoring the atmosphere quality.

Nd:YAG laser in endodontics: filling-material edge bordering on a root channel laser cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Belikov, Andrei V.; Sinelnik, Yuri A.; Moroz, Boris T.; Pavlovskaya, Irina V.

1997-12-01

For the very first time it is represented a study of filling material edge bordering upon root channel cavity modified with a laser. As a filling material it is used a glass ionomer cement. It is demonstrated that Nd:YAG laser radiation effects on increase of grade of edge bordering on the average of 20 - 30% at temperature rise of no more than 2 - 3 degrees in periodontium area in a period of operation.

Increasing the mode-locking efficiency of a cw solid-state laser with an auxiliary cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalashnikov, V.L.; Kalosha, V.P.; Mikhailov, V.P.; Demchuk, M.I.

1992-01-01

It is predicted theoretically that the efficiency of self-mode locking can be raised by means of a bleachable shutter in the main cavity or an auxiliary cavity. The laser emits a stable train of ultrashort pulses under these conditions. The theory is based on a fluctuation model of the operation of a cw solid-state laser with a linear auxiliary cavity. The increase in efficiency involves a broadening of the region of parameter values of the system in which self-mode locking occurs, a significant decrease in the threshold pump intensity, and a reduced sensitivity of the operation to the phase mismatch of the lengths of the cavities. It is shown, for the first time, that a stable train of double ultrashort pulses can be generated by a system with a shutter in the auxiliary cavity. It is also shown that a self-mode locking is possible in the case in which there is a phase mismatch of the cavity lengths and there is no phase self-modulation in the main cavity. 15 refs., 8 figs

Mid infrared resonant cavity detectors and lasers with epitaxial lead-chalcogenides

Science.gov (United States)

Zogg, H.; Rahim, M.; Khiar, A.; Fill, M.; Felder, F.; Quack, N.

2010-09-01

Wavelength tunable emitters and detectors in the mid-IR wavelength region allow applications including thermal imaging and gas spectroscopy. One way to realize such tunable devices is by using a resonant cavity. By mechanically changing the cavity length with MEMS mirror techniques, the wavelengths may be tuned over a considerable range. Resonant cavity enhanced detectors (RCED) are sensitive at the cavity resonance only. They may be applied for low resolution spectroscopy, and, when arrays of such detectors are realized, as multicolour IR-FPA or "IR-AFPA", adaptive focal plane arrays. We report the first room temperature mid-IR VECSEL (vertical external cavity surface emitting laser) with a wavelength above 3 μm. The active region is just 850 nm PbSe, followed by a 2.5 pair Bragg mirror. Output power is > 10 mW at RT.

Ultrafast Optics: Vector Cavity Fiber Lasers - Physics and Technology

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-14

with a quasi- vector cavity both numerically and experimentally. It is expected that through the study a deep and comprehensive understanding on the...799-801, Jun. 1997. 31. L. M. Zhao, D. Y. Tang, J. Wu, X. Q. Fu, and S. C. Wen , "Noise-like pulse in a gain-guided soliton fiber laser," Opt...solitons in a ring fiber laser," Optics Communications 281 (22), 5614 (2008). 110. L. M. Zhao, D. Y. Tang, J. Wu, X. Q. Fu, and S. C. Wen , "Noise-like

Laser cavities with self-pumped phase conjugation by mixing of four waves in an amplifier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sillard, Pierre

1998-01-01

The purpose of this research thesis is to characterise a new type of cavities with self-pumped phase conjugation which uses a mixing of four waves degenerated in a solid amplifier. After a definition of phase conjugation and a brief overview of the history of this technique, the author describes and compares the different laser architectures with phase conjugation. He explains benefits and perspectives related to cavities with self-pumped phase conjugation using a mixing of four waves in an amplifier. He develops the necessary formalism for the resolution of the coupled equations of four wave mixing in transient regime for a resonant and saturated non-linearity. He shows how these results can be applied to solid amplifiers, in particularly to the Nd:YAG amplifier which is used in all experiments. In the next part, the author describes the principle and characteristics of cavity with self-pumped phase conjugation injected by another laser. An experiment is performed with two conventional Nd:YAG amplifiers pumped by flash lamps. The excellent performance of the cavity allows the study of cavity without this injection, but self-oscillating is to be envisaged, and a modelling of self-oscillating cavities is proposed and studied. Results are compared with those obtained with two N:YAG amplifiers pumped by flash lamps. Polarisation properties of the self-oscillating cavity are also studied. Finally, the author reports an experimental validation of a cavity with self-pumped phase conjugation all in solid state, pumped by laser diodes (a more efficient pumping) [fr

Dispersion compensated mid-infrared quantum cascade laser frequency comb with high power output

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Q. Y. Lu

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Chromatic dispersion control plays an underlying role in optoelectronics and spectroscopy owing to its enhancement to nonlinear interactions by reducing the phase mismatching. This is particularly important to optical frequency combs based on quantum cascade lasers which require negligible dispersions for efficient mode locking of the dispersed modes into equally spaced comb modes. Here, we demonstrated a dispersion compensated mid-IR quantum cascade laser frequency comb with high power output at room temperature. A low-loss dispersive mirror has been engineered to compensate the device’s dispersion residue for frequency comb generation. Narrow intermode beating linewidths of 40 Hz in the comb-working currents were identified with a high power output of 460 mW and a broad spectral coverage of 80 cm-1. This dispersion compensation technique will enable fast spectroscopy and high-resolution metrology based on QCL combs with controlled dispersion and suppressed noise.

Modeling and experimental verification of laser self-mixing interference phenomenon with the structure of two-external-cavity feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Peng; Liu, Yuwei; Gao, Bingkun; Jiang, Chunlei

2018-03-01

A semiconductor laser employed with two-external-cavity feedback structure for laser self-mixing interference (SMI) phenomenon is investigated and analyzed. The SMI model with two directions based on F-P cavity is deduced, and numerical simulation and experimental verification were conducted. Experimental results show that the SMI with the structure of two-external-cavity feedback under weak light feedback is similar to the sum of two SMIs.

Single-frequency blue light generation by single-pass sum-frequency generation in a coupled ring cavity tapered laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Ole Bjarlin; Petersen, Paul Michael

2013-01-01

A generic approach for generation of tunable single frequency light is presented. 340 mW of near diffraction limited, single-frequency, and tunable blue light around 459 nm is generated by sum-frequency generation (SFG) between two tunable tapered diode lasers. One diode laser is operated in a ring...... cavity and another tapered diode laser is single-passed through a nonlinear crystal which is contained in the coupled ring cavity. Using this method, the single-pass conversion efficiency is more than 25%. In contrast to SFG in an external cavity, the system is entirely self-stabilized with no electronic...

High-speed high-sensitivity infrared spectroscopy using mid-infrared swept lasers (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Childs, David T. D.; Groom, Kristian M.; Hogg, Richard A.; Revin, Dmitry G.; Cockburn, John W.; Rehman, Ihtesham U.; Matcher, Stephen J.

2016-03-01

Infrared spectroscopy is a highly attractive read-out technology for compositional analysis of biomedical specimens because of its unique combination of high molecular sensitivity without the need for exogenous labels. Traditional techniques such as FTIR and Raman have suffered from comparatively low speed and sensitivity however recent innovations are challenging this situation. Direct mid-IR spectroscopy is being speeded up by innovations such as MEMS-based FTIR instruments with very high mirror speeds and supercontinuum sources producing very high sample irradiation levels. Here we explore another possible method - external cavity quantum cascade lasers (EC-QCL's) with high cavity tuning speeds (mid-IR swept lasers). Swept lasers have been heavily developed in the near-infrared where they are used for non-destructive low-coherence imaging (OCT). We adapt these concepts in two ways. Firstly by combining mid-IR quantum cascade gain chips with external cavity designs adapted from OCT we achieve spectral acquisition rates approaching 1 kHz and demonstrate potential to reach 100 kHz. Secondly we show that mid-IR swept lasers share a fundamental sensitivity advantage with near-IR OCT swept lasers. This makes them potentially able to achieve the same spectral SNR as an FTIR instrument in a time x N shorter (N being the number of spectral points) under otherwise matched conditions. This effect is demonstrated using measurements of a PDMS sample. The combination of potentially very high spectral acquisition rates, fundamental SNR advantage and the use of low-cost detector systems could make mid-IR swept lasers a powerful technology for high-throughput biomedical spectroscopy.

Theoretical Investigation of Subwavelength Gratings and Vertical Cavity Lasers Employing Grating Structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Taghizadeh, Alireza

This thesis deals with theoretical investigations of a newly proposed grating structure, referred to as hybrid grating (HG) as well as vertical cavity lasers based on the grating reflectors. The HG consists of a near-subwavelength grating layer and an unpatterned high-refractive-index cap layer...... directions, which is analogous to electronic quantum wells in conduction or valence bands. Several interesting configurations of heterostructures have been investigated and their potential in fundamental physics study and applications are discussed. For numerical and theoretical studies, a three...... feasibility than the HCG-based ones. Furthermore, the concept of cavity dispersion in vertical cavities is introduced and its importance in the modal properties is numerically investigated. The dispersion curvature of a cavity mode is interpreted as the effective photon mass of the cavity mode. In a vertical...

Multi-pulse enhanced laser ion acceleration using plasma half cavity targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, G. G.; Brenner, C. M.; Neely, D.; Green, J. S.; Robinson, A. P. L.; Spindloe, C.; Bagnoud, V.; Brabetz, C.; Zielbauer, B.; Carroll, D. C.; MacLellan, D. A.; McKenna, P.; Roth, M.; Wagner, F.

2012-01-01

We report on a plasma half cavity target design for laser driven ion acceleration that enhances the laser to proton energy conversion efficiency and has been found to modify the low energy region of the proton spectrum. The target design utilizes the high fraction of laser energy reflected from an ionized surface and refocuses it such that a double pulse interaction is attained. We report on numerical simulations and experimental results demonstrating that conversion efficiencies can be doubled, compared to planar foil interactions, when the secondary pulse is delivered within picoseconds of the primary pulse.

Multi-pulse enhanced laser ion acceleration using plasma half cavity targets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scott, G. G.; Brenner, C. M.; Neely, D. [Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, OX11 0QX Didcot (United Kingdom); Department of Physics SUPA, University of Strathclyde, G4 0NG Glasgow (United Kingdom); Green, J. S.; Robinson, A. P. L.; Spindloe, C. [Central Laser Facility, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, OX11 0QX Didcot (United Kingdom); Bagnoud, V.; Brabetz, C.; Zielbauer, B. [PHELIX Group, Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung, D-64291 Darmstadt (Germany); Carroll, D. C.; MacLellan, D. A.; McKenna, P. [Department of Physics SUPA, University of Strathclyde, G4 0NG Glasgow (United Kingdom); Roth, M. [Fachbereich Physik, Technische Universitaet Darmstadt, D-64289 Darmstadt (Germany); Wagner, F. [PHELIX Group, Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung, D-64291 Darmstadt (Germany); Fachbereich Physik, Technische Universitaet Darmstadt, D-64289 Darmstadt (Germany)

2012-07-09

We report on a plasma half cavity target design for laser driven ion acceleration that enhances the laser to proton energy conversion efficiency and has been found to modify the low energy region of the proton spectrum. The target design utilizes the high fraction of laser energy reflected from an ionized surface and refocuses it such that a double pulse interaction is attained. We report on numerical simulations and experimental results demonstrating that conversion efficiencies can be doubled, compared to planar foil interactions, when the secondary pulse is delivered within picoseconds of the primary pulse.

Polymer-coated vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser diode vapor sensor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ansbæk, Thor; Nielsen, Claus Højgaard; Larsen, Niels Bent

2010-01-01

We report a new method for monitoring vapor concentration of volatile organic compounds using a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL). The VCSEL is coated with a polymer thin film on the top distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). The analyte absorption is transduced to the electrical domain ...

Investigations of the polarization behavior of quantum cascade lasers by Stokes parameters.

Science.gov (United States)

Janassek, Patrick; Hartmann, Sébastien; Molitor, Andreas; Michel, Florian; Elsäßer, Wolfgang

2016-01-15

We experimentally investigate the full polarization behavior of mid-infrared emitting quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) in terms of measuring the complete Stokes parameters, instead of only projecting them on a linear polarization basis. We demonstrate that besides the pre-dominant linear TM polarization of the emitted light as governed by the selection rules of the intersubband transition, small non-TM contributions, e.g., circularly polarized light, are present reflecting the birefringent behavior of the semiconductor quantum well waveguide. Surprisingly unique is the persistence of these polarization properties well below laser threshold. These investigations give further insight into understanding, manipulating, and exploiting the polarization properties of QCLs, both from a laser point of view and with respect toward applications.

Dual-wavelength erbium-doped fiber laser with asymmetric fiber Bragg grating Fabry-Perot cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Cong; Xu, Zhi-wei; Wang, Meng; Chen, Hai-yan

2014-11-01

A novel dual-wavelength fiber laser with asymmetric fiber Bragg grating (FBG) Fabry-Perot (FP) cavity is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. A couple of uniform FBGs are used as the cavity mirrors, and the third FBG is used as intracavity wavelength selector by changing its operation temperature. Experimental results show that by adjusting the operation temperature of the intracavity wavelength selector, a tunable dual-wavelength laser emission can be achieved. The results demonstrate the new concept of dual-wavelength lasing with asymmetric FBG FP resonator and its technical feasibility.

Efficient second harmonic generation of a diode-laser-pumped CW Nd:YAG laser using monolithic MgO:LiNbO3 external resonant cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Kozlovsky, William J.; Nabors, C. D.; Byer, Robert L.

1988-01-01

56-percent efficient external-cavity-resonant second-harmonic generation of a diode-laser pumped, CW single-axial-mode Nd:YAG laser is reported. A theory of external doubling with a resonant fundamental is presented and compared to experimental results for three monolithic cavities of nonlinear MgO:LiNbO3. The best conversion efficiency was obtained with a 12.5-mm-long monolithic ring cavity doubler, which produced 29.7 mW of CW, single-axial model 532-nm radiation from an input of 52.5 mW.

Enhanced efficiency of plasma acceleration in the laser-induced cavity pressure acceleration scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badziak, J; Rosiński, M; Jabłoński, S; Pisarczyk, T; Chodukowski, T; Parys, P; Rączka, P; Krousky, E; Ullschmied, J; Liska, R; Kucharik, M

2015-01-01

Among various methods for the acceleration of dense plasmas the mechanism called laser-induced cavity pressure acceleration (LICPA) is capable of achieving the highest energetic efficiency. In the LICPA scheme, a projectile placed in a cavity is accelerated along a guiding channel by the laser-induced thermal plasma pressure or by the radiation pressure of an intense laser radiation trapped in the cavity. This arrangement leads to a significant enhancement of the hydrodynamic or electromagnetic forces driving the projectile, relative to standard laser acceleration schemes. The aim of this paper is to review recent experimental and numerical works on LICPA with the emphasis on the acceleration of heavy plasma macroparticles and dense ion beams. The main experimental part concerns the research carried out at the kilojoule sub-nanosecond PALS laser facility in Prague. Our measurements performed at this facility, supported by advanced two-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations, have demonstrated that the LICPA accelerator working in the long-pulse hydrodynamic regime can be a highly efficient tool for the acceleration of heavy plasma macroparticles to hyper-velocities and the generation of ultra-high-pressure (>100 Mbar) shocks through the collision of the macroparticle with a solid target. The energetic efficiency of the macroparticle acceleration and the shock generation has been found to be significantly higher than that for other laser-based methods used so far. Using particle-in-cell simulations it is shown that the LICPA scheme is highly efficient also in the short-pulse high-intensity regime and, in particular, may be used for production of intense ion beams of multi-MeV to GeV ion energies with the energetic efficiency of tens of per cent, much higher than for conventional laser acceleration schemes. (paper)

Evaluation of the cavity margins after Er:YAG laser ablation of the enamel and dentin

Science.gov (United States)

Dostalova, Tatjana; Krejsa, Otakar; Jelinkova, Helena; Hamal, Karel

1994-12-01

This study investigates the checks of cavity margin after enamel and dentin ablation. The Er:YAG laser enamel and dentin ablation can be directly connected with the danger of cracks originating in the enamel near the cavity. This study evaluates the quality of the enamel edges after Er:YAG laser preparation. The enamel and dentin of buccal surfaces were ablated by the Er:YAG laser radiation. An Erbium:YAG laser system with the energy of 200 mJ was used to generate 200 microsecond(s) long pulses of mid-infrared 2.94 micrometers light in multimode configuration. The laser was operating in a free running mode, the repetition rate being 0.5 Hz with average laser power of 100 mW. Laser radiation was focused on the tooth tissue. Water cooling was used during the procedure in order to prevent tooth tissue destruction. The time of laser preparation was 5 minutes. A cavity of class V was prepared. The teeth were immersed into 0.5% basic fuchsin and then centrifuged at 6000 rev/min for 20 minutes. The microphotographs of the margins stained with 0.5% basic fuchsin were made and then the longitudinal section of the teeth were evaluated. The micrographs of the longitudinal section were checked and measured afterwards. The effect of the investigated laser irradiation on the origin of cracks was analyzed in the scanning electron microscope. Micrographs of each tooth before and after the laser ablation were compared. Micrographs of the intact teeth after extraction present the cracks of the enamel. They depend on the pressure exerted during extraction. The influence of the laser ablation proper is it bears no signs of new cracks. The conclusions of this study demonstrate the non-invasive nature of the Er:YAG laser ablation of the hard dental tissues.

A Tunable CW Orange Laser Based on a Cascaded MgO:PPLN Single-Pass Sum-Frequency Generation Module

OpenAIRE

Dismas K. Choge; Huai-Xi Chen; Bao-Lu Tian; Yi-Bin Xu; Guang-Wei Li; Wan-Guo Liang

2018-01-01

We report an all-solid-state continuous wave (CW) tunable orange laser based on cascaded single-pass sum-frequency generation with fundamental wavelengths at 1545.7 and 975.2 nm using two quasi-phase-matched (QPM) MgO-doped periodically poled lithium niobate (MgO:PPLN) crystals. Up to 10 mW of orange laser is generated in the cascaded module corresponding to a 10.4%/W nonlinear conversion efficiency. The orange output showed a temperature tuning rate of ~0.05 nm/°C, and the beam quality (M2) ...

Exhaled breath profiling using broadband quantum cascade laser-based spectroscopy in healthy children and children with asthma and cystic fibrosis.

Science.gov (United States)

van Mastrigt, E; Reyes-Reyes, A; Brand, K; Bhattacharya, N; Urbach, H P; Stubbs, A P; de Jongste, J C; Pijnenburg, M W

2016-04-08

Exhaled breath analysis is a potential non-invasive tool for diagnosing and monitoring airway diseases. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and electrochemical sensor arrays are the main techniques to detect volatile organic compounds (VOC) in exhaled breath. We developed a broadband quantum cascade laser spectroscopy technique for VOC detection and identification. The objective of this study was to assess the repeatability of exhaled breath profiling with broadband quantum cascade laser-based spectroscopy and to explore the clinical applicability by comparing exhaled breath samples from healthy children with those from children with asthma or cystic fibrosis (CF). Healthy children and children with stable asthma or stable CF, aged 6-18 years, were included. Two to four exhaled breath samples were collected in Tedlar bags and analyzed by quantum cascade laser spectroscopy to detect VOCs with an absorption profile in the wavenumber region between 832 and 1262.55 cm(-1). We included 35 healthy children, 39 children with asthma and 15 with CF. Exhaled breath VOC profiles showed poor repeatability (Spearman's rho  =  0.36 to 0.46) and agreement of the complete profiles. However, we were able to discriminate healthy children from children with stable asthma or stable CF and identified VOCs that were responsible for this discrimination. Broadband quantum cascade laser-based spectroscopy detected differences in VOC profiles in exhaled breath samples between healthy children and children with asthma or CF. The combination of a relatively easy and fast method and the possibility of molecule identification makes broadband quantum cascade laser-based spectroscopy attractive to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic potential of volatiles in exhaled breath.

Cascaded-focus laser writing of low-loss waveguides in polymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Pätzold, Welm M; Reinhardt, Carsten; Demircan, Ayhan; Morgner, Uwe

2016-03-15

Waveguide writing in poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with femtosecond laser radiation is presented. An adequate refractive index change is induced in the border area below the irradiated focal volume. It supports an almost symmetric fundamental mode with propagation losses down to 0.5  dB/cm, the lowest losses observed so far in this class of materials. The writing process with a cascaded focus is demonstrated to be highly reliable over a large parameter range.

Quantum-cascade laser photoacoustic detection of methane emitted from natural gas powered engines

Science.gov (United States)

Rocha, M. V.; Sthel, M. S.; Silva, M. G.; Paiva, L. B.; Pinheiro, F. W.; Miklòs, A.; Vargas, H.

2012-03-01

In this work we present a laser photoacoustic arrangement for the detection of the important greenhouse gas methane. A quantum-cascade laser and a differential photoacoustic cell were employed. A detection limit of 45 ppbv in nitrogen was achieved as well as a great selectivity. The same methodology was also tested in the detection of methane issued from natural gas powered vehicles (VNG) in Brazil, which demonstrates the excellent potential of this arrangement for greenhouse gas detection emitted from real sources.

Terahertz Quantum Cascade Laser With Efficient Coupling and Beam Profile

Science.gov (United States)

Chattopadhyay, Goutam; Kawamura, Jonathan H.; Lin, Robert H.; Williams, Benjamin

2012-01-01

Quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) are unipolar semiconductor lasers, where the wavelength of emitted radiation is determined by the engineering of quantum states within the conduction band in coupled multiple-quantum-well heterostructures to have the desired energy separation. The recent development of terahertz QCLs has provided a new generation of solid-state sources for radiation in the terahertz frequency range. Terahertz QCLs have been demonstrated from 0.84 to 5.0 THz both in pulsed mode and continuous wave mode (CW mode). The approach employs a resonant-phonon depopulation concept. The metal-metal (MM) waveguide fabrication is performed using Cu-Cu thermo-compression bonding to bond the GaAs/AlGaAs epitaxial layer to a GaAs receptor wafer.

Free-space communication based on quantum cascade laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Chuanwei; Zhai Shenqiang; Zhang Jinchuan; Zhou Yuhong; Jia Zhiwei; Liu Fengqi; Wang Zhanguo

2015-01-01

A free-space communication based on a mid-infrared quantum cascade laser (QCL) is presented. A room-temperature continuous-wave distributed-feedback (DFB) QCL combined with a mid-infrared detector comprise the basic unit of the communication system. Sinusoidal signals at a highest frequency of 40 MHz and modulated video signals with a carrier frequency of 30 MHz were successfully transmitted with this experimental setup. Our research has provided a proof-of-concept demonstration of space optical communication application with QCL. The highest operation frequency of our setup was determined by the circuit-limited modulation bandwidth. A high performance communication system can be obtained with improved modulation circuit system. (paper)

Optoelectronic integrated circuits utilising vertical-cavity surface-emitting semiconductor lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zakharov, S D; Fyodorov, V B; Tsvetkov, V V

1999-01-01

Optoelectronic integrated circuits with additional optical inputs/outputs, in which vertical-cavity surface-emitting (VCSE) lasers perform the data transfer functions, are considered. The mutual relationship and the 'affinity' between optical means for data transfer and processing, on the one hand, and the traditional electronic component base, on the other, are demonstrated in the case of implementation of three-dimensional interconnects with a high transmission capacity. Attention is drawn to the problems encountered when semiconductor injection lasers are used in communication lines. It is shown what role can be played by VCSE lasers in solving these problems. A detailed analysis is made of the topics relating to possible structural and technological solutions in the fabrication of single lasers and of their arrays, and also of the problems hindering integrating of lasers into emitter arrays. Considerable attention is given to integrated circuits with optoelectronic smart pixels. Various technological methods for vertical integration of GaAs VCSE lasers with the silicon substrate of a microcircuit (chip) are discussed. (review)

An inductively heated hot cavity catcher laser ion source

CERN Document Server

Reponen, M; Pohjalainen, I; Rothe, S; Savonen, M; Sonnenschein, V; Voss, A

2015-01-01

An inductively heated hot cavity catcher has been constructed for the production of low-energy ion beams of exotic, neutron-deficient Agisotopes. A proof-of-principle experiment has been realized by implanting primary 107Ag21+ ions from a heavy-ion cyclotron into a graphite catcher. A variable-thickness nickel foil was used to degrade the energy of the primary beam in order to mimic the implantation depth expected from the heavy-ion fusion-evaporation recoils of N = Z94Ag. Following implantation, the silver atoms diffused out of the graphite and effused into the catcher cavity and transfer tube, where they were resonantly laser ionized using a three-step excitation and ionization scheme. Following mass separation, the ions were identified by scanning the frequency of the first resonant excitation step while recording the ion count rate. Ion release time profiles were measured for different implantation depths and cavity temperatures with the mean delay time varying from 10 to 600 ms. In addition, the diffusio...

STUDY OF THE PROPAGATION OF SHORT PULSE LASER WITH CAVITY USING NUMERICAL SIMULATION SOFTWARE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Terniche

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this representation is to show the potentialities (Computational Time, access to the dynamic and feasibility of systematic studies of the numerical study of the nonlinear dynamics in laser cavity, assisted by software. We will give as an example, one type of cavity completely fibered composed of several elements and then studying the physical parameters of a pulse propagating into this cavity, determining its characteristics at the output. The results are interesting but we also projects to verify them experimentally by making assemblies similar to this type of cavities.

Meeting to discuss laser cavity design for photon linear collider ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

linear collider – Daresbury, UK, 10 January 2006. ALEXANDER JOHN FINCH ... On 10 January 2006, a meeting to discuss laser cavity design for the photon linear collider was held at the Daresbury .... important to continue making contact with people in fields outside the accelerator community. Few experts at this meeting ...

A high stability wavelength-tunable narrow-linewidth and single-polarization erbium-doped fiber laser using a compound-cavity structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Ting; Yan, Fengping; Peng, Wanjing; Liu, Shuo; Tan, Siyu; Liang, Xiao; Wen, Xiaodong

2014-01-01

A high stability wavelength-tunable narrow-linewidth and single-polarization erbium-doped fiber laser using a compound-cavity structure is proposed and demonstrated experimentally. The compound-cavity is composed of a main-linear-cavity and a subring-cavity. Using a pump power of 150 mW, the optical signal to noise ratio of the laser output is as high as ∼67 dB; the wavelength and output power fluctuation are 0.7 pm and 0.07 dBm respectively in an experimental period of 1 h; the linewidth of the laser output is as narrow as 650 Hz; the degree of polarization of the laser output is stable at a value of 100.8% in 15 min and the polarization extinction ratio is as high as 30.57 dB; the wavelength-tunable range is as wide as ∼8.1 nm. The proposed fiber laser can be used in areas where high stability, narrow-linewidth, single-polarization and wide wavelength-tunable range are needed. (letter)

Marginal microleakage in vitro study on class V cavities prepared with Er:YAG laser and etched with acid or etched with Er:YAG laser and acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tavares, Henrique Dutra Simoes

2001-01-01

Microleakage at the interface between the teeth and the restorative materials remains a problem with composite resin restorations. Microleakage at the gingival margins of class V cavities restorations still challenge as they are usually placed in dentin and/or cementum. Previous studies have shown that the cavity preparation with Er:YAG laser is possible. It has been reported that Er:YAG laser has ability to create irregular surface providing micromechanical retention for adhesive dental restorative materials and to improve marginal sealing. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the marginal microleakage on class V cavities prepared with Er:YAG laser and etched with acid or with Er:YAG laser and acid, in compared to those prepared and etched conventionally. Thirty human molars were divided into three groups, namely: group I - prepared with Er:YAG laser (KaVo KEY Laser II - Germany) and etched with 37% phosphoric acid; group II - prepared with Er:YAG laser and etched with Er:YAG laser and 37% phosphoric acid; group III (control group) - prepared with high speed drill and etched with 37% phosphoric acid. All cavities were treated with same adhesive system (Single Bond - 3M) and restored with the composite resin (Z100 - 3M), according to the manufacturer's instructions. The specimens were stored at 37 deg C in water for 24 hours, polished with Sof-Lex discs (3M), thermally stressed, sealed with a nail polish coating except for the area of the restoration and 1 mm around it, and immersed in a 50% aqueous solution of silver nitrate for 24 hours. After that, the specimens were rinsed in water, soaked in a photodeveloping solution and exposed to a fluorescent light for 8 hours. The teeth were embedded in an autopolymerizing resin and sectioned longitudinally using a diamond saw microtome under running water. The sections were photographed. The microleakage at the occlusal cavity and at the gingival margins of each specimen was evaluated with scores (0-3) by

Tilt-tuned etalon locking for tunable laser stabilization.

Science.gov (United States)

Gibson, Bradley M; McCall, Benjamin J

2015-06-15

Locking to a fringe of a tilt-tuned etalon provides a simple, inexpensive method for stabilizing tunable lasers. Here, we describe the use of such a system to stabilize an external-cavity quantum cascade laser; the locked laser has an Allan deviation of approximately 1 MHz over a one-second integration period, and has a single-scan tuning range of approximately 0.4  cm(-1). The system is robust, with minimal alignment requirements and automated lock acquisition, and can be easily adapted to different wavelength regions or more stringent stability requirements with minor alterations.

Molecular Laser Spectroscopy as a Tool for Gas Analysis Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javis Anyangwe Nwaboh

2011-01-01

Full Text Available We have used the traceable infrared laser spectrometric amount fraction measurement (TILSAM method to perform absolute concentration measurements of molecular species using three laser spectroscopic techniques. We report results performed by tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS, quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy (QCLAS, and cavity ring down spectroscopy (CRDS, all based on the TILSAM methodology. The measured results of the different spectroscopic techniques are in agreement with respective gravimetric values, showing that the TILSAM method is feasible with all different techniques. We emphasize the data quality objectives given by traceability issues and uncertainty analyses.

Double cascade erbium fiber laser at 1.7 µm, 2.7 µm, and 1.6 µm

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schneider, J.; Frerichs, Ch.; Carbonnier, C.; Unrau, U.B.; Pollnau, Markus; Lüthy, W.; Weber, H.P.

The output power of the erbium laser at 2.7 um (4I11/2 -> 4I13/2) is enhanced due to simultaneous laser action at 1.7 um (4S3/2 -> 4I9/2) and 1.6 um (4I13/2 -> 4I15/2) in an Er3+-doped fluorozirconate fiber. The laser cascade overwhelms the saturation effect for the transition at 2.7 um by

Frequency stabilization of multiple lasers on a single medium-finesse cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Chengyin; Zhou, Min; Gao, Qi; Li, Shangyan; Zhang, Shuang; Qiao, Hao; Ai, Di; Zhang, Mengya; Lou, Ge; Luo, Limeng; Xu, Xinye

2018-04-01

We present a simple, compact, and robust frequency stabilization system of three lasers operating at 649, 759, and 770 nm, respectively. These lasers are applied in experiments on ytterbium optical lattice clocks, for which each laser needs to have a linewidth of a few hundred or tens of kilohertz while maintaining a favorable long-term stability. Here, a single medium-finesse cavity is adopted as the frequency reference and the standard Pound-Drever-Hall technique is used to stabilize the laser frequencies. Based on the independent phase modulation, multiple-laser locking is demonstrated without mutual intervention. The locked lasers are measured to have a linewidth of 100 kHz and the residual frequency drift is about 78.5 Hz s-1. This kind of setup provides a construction that is much simpler than that in previous work.

Applications of cw quantum cascade laser near 8 μm in gas sensing research

KAUST Repository

Sajid, Muhammad Bilal; Farooq, Aamir

2014-01-01

Quantum cascade laser based sensors operating near 8 μm to detect H2O2, C2H2, CH4, N2O and H2O are discussed and demonstrated for applications in chemical kinetics, combustion and spectroscopic measurements.

Green high-power tunable external-cavity GaN diode laser at 515 nm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chi, Mingjun; Jensen, Ole Bjarlin; Petersen, Paul Michael

2016-01-01

A 480 mW green tunable diode laser system is demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge. The laser system is based on a GaN broad-area diode laser and Littrow external-cavity feedback. The green laser system is operated in two modes by switching the polarization direction of the laser beam...... incident on the grating. When the laser beam is p-polarized, an output power of 50 mW with a tunable range of 9.2 nm is achieved. When the laser beam is s-polarized, an output power of 480 mW with a tunable range of 2.1 nm is obtained. This constitutes the highest output power from a tunable green diode...... laser system....

Self-consistent Maxwell-Bloch model of quantum-dot photonic-crystal-cavity lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Cartar, William; Mørk, Jesper; Hughes, Stephen

2017-08-01

We present a powerful computational approach to simulate the threshold behavior of photonic-crystal quantum-dot (QD) lasers. Using a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique, Maxwell-Bloch equations representing a system of thousands of statistically independent and randomly positioned two-level emitters are solved numerically. Phenomenological pure dephasing and incoherent pumping is added to the optical Bloch equations to allow for a dynamical lasing regime, but the cavity-mediated radiative dynamics and gain coupling of each QD dipole (artificial atom) is contained self-consistently within the model. These Maxwell-Bloch equations are implemented by using Lumerical's flexible material plug-in tool, which allows a user to define additional equations of motion for the nonlinear polarization. We implement the gain ensemble within triangular-lattice photonic-crystal cavities of various length N (where N refers to the number of missing holes), and investigate the cavity mode characteristics and the threshold regime as a function of cavity length. We develop effective two-dimensional model simulations which are derived after studying the full three-dimensional passive material structures by matching the cavity quality factors and resonance properties. We also demonstrate how to obtain the correct point-dipole radiative decay rate from Fermi's golden rule, which is captured naturally by the FDTD method. Our numerical simulations predict that the pump threshold plateaus around cavity lengths greater than N =9 , which we identify as a consequence of the complex spatial dynamics and gain coupling from the inhomogeneous QD ensemble. This behavior is not expected from simple rate-equation analysis commonly adopted in the literature, but is in qualitative agreement with recent experiments. Single-mode to multimode lasing is also observed, depending on the spectral peak frequency of the QD ensemble. Using a statistical modal analysis of the average decay rates, we also

Very high repetition-rate electro-optical cavity-dumped Nd: YVO4 laser with optics and dynamics stabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xuesong; Shi, Zhaohui; Huang, Yutao; Fan, Zhongwei; Yu, Jin; Zhang, Jing; Hou, Liqun

2015-02-01

In this paper, a very high repetition-rate, short-pulse, electro-optical cavity-dumped Nd: YVO4 laser is experimentally and theoretically investigated. The laser performance is optimized from two aspects. Firstly, the laser resonator is designed for a good thermal stability under large pump power fluctuation through optics methods. Secondly, dynamics simulation as well as experiments verifies that cavity dumping at very high repetition rate has better stability than medium/high repetition rate. At 30 W, 880 nm pump power, up to 500 kHz, constant 5 ns, stable 1064 nm fundamental-mode laser pulses can be obtained with 10 W average output power.

Stable and High OSNR Compound Linear-Cavity Single-Longitudinal-Mode Erbium-Doped Silica Fiber Laser Based on an Asymmetric Four-Cavity Structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Ting; Yan Feng-Ping; Li Qi; Peng Wan-Jing; Feng Su-Chun; Wen Xiao-Dong; Tan Si-Yu; Liu Peng

2012-01-01

We propose a stable and high optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) compound linear-cavity single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) erbium-doped silica fiber laser. It consists of three uniform fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) and two fiber couplers to form a simple asymmetric four-cavity structure to select the longitudinal mode. The stable SLM operation at the wavelength of 1544.053 nm with a 3 dB bandwidth of 0.014 nm and an OSNR of ∼60 dB was verified experimentally. Under laboratory conditions, a power fluctuation performance of less than 0.05 dB for 5 h and wavelength variation of less than 0.01 nm for about 150 min is demonstrated. Finally, the characteristic of laser output power as a function of pump power is investigated. The proposed system provides a simple and cost-effective approach to realize a stable SLM fiber laser

High-Speed Semiconductor Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers for Optical Data-Transmission Systems (Review)

Science.gov (United States)

Blokhin, S. A.; Maleev, N. A.; Bobrov, M. A.; Kuzmenkov, A. G.; Sakharov, A. V.; Ustinov, V. M.

2018-01-01

The main problems of providing a high-speed operation semiconductor lasers with a vertical microcavity (so-called "vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers") under amplitude modulation and ways to solve them have been considered. The influence of the internal properties of the radiating active region and the electrical parasitic elements of the equivalent circuit of lasers are discussed. An overview of approaches that lead to an increase of the cutoff parasitic frequency, an increase of the differential gain of the active region, the possibility of the management of mode emission composition and the lifetime of photons in the optical microcavities, and reduction of the influence of thermal effects have been presented. The achieved level of modulation bandwidth of ˜30 GHz is close to the maximum achievable for the classical scheme of the direct-current modulation, which makes it necessary to use a multilevel modulation format to further increase the information capacity of optical channels constructed on the basis of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers.

Quantum cascade laser-based photoacoustic sulfuryl fluoride sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Minini, Kariza Mayra Silva; Bueno, Sâmylla Cristina Espécie; da Silva, Marcelo Gomes; Sthel, Marcelo Silva; Vargas, Helion; Angster, Judit; Miklós, András

2017-02-01

Although sulfuryl fluoride (SO2F2) is an efficient fumigant that does not react with the surface of indoor materials and does not reduce the stratospheric ozone shield, there are some concerns about its use. It is a toxic gas that attacks the central nervous system, and its global warming potential (GWP) value is 4780 for 100 years' time. Therefore, it is a clear necessity of implementing detection methods for tracing such a molecule. In this work a sensitive photoacoustic setup was built to detect SO2F2 at concentrations of parts per billion by volume (ppbv). The symmetric S-O stretching mode was excited by a continuous-wave quantum cascade laser with radiation wavenumber ranging from 1275.7 to 1269.3 cm-1. The photoacoustic signal was generated by modulating the laser wavenumber at the first longitudinal mode of the photoacoustic cell with amplitude depth of 5 × 10-3 cm-1. The detection of a minimum SO2F2 concentration of 20 ppbv was achieved.

Real-time trace gas sensor using a multimode diode laser and multiple-line integrated cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Karpf, Andreas; Rao, Gottipaty N

2015-07-01

We describe and demonstrate a highly sensitive trace gas sensor based on a simplified design that is capable of measuring sub-ppb concentrations of NO2 in tens of milliseconds. The sensor makes use of a relatively inexpensive Fabry-Perot diode laser to conduct off-axis cavity enhanced spectroscopy. The broad frequency range of a multimode Fabry-Perot diode laser spans a large number of absorption lines, thereby removing the need for a single-frequency tunable laser source. The use of cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy enhances the sensitivity of the sensor by providing a pathlength on the order of 1 km in a small volume. Off-axis alignment excites a large number of cavity modes simultaneously, thereby reducing the sensor's susceptibility to vibration. Multiple-line integrated absorption spectroscopy (where one integrates the absorption spectra over a large number of rovibronic transitions of the molecular species) further improves the sensitivity of detection. Relatively high laser power (∼400  mW) is used to compensate for the low coupling efficiency of a broad linewidth laser to the optical cavity. The approach was demonstrated using a 407 nm diode laser to detect trace quantities of NO2 in zero air. Sensitivities of 750 ppt, 110 ppt, and 65 ppt were achieved using integration times of 50 ms, 5 s, and 20 s respectively.

Quantum-cascade lasers in the 7-8 μm spectral range with full top metallization

Science.gov (United States)

Kurochkin, A. S.; Babichev, A. V.; Denisov, D. V.; Karachinsky, L. Ya; Novikov, I. I.; Sofronov, A. N.; Firsov, D. A.; Vorobjev, L. E.; Bousseksou, A.; Egorov, A. Yu

2018-03-01

The paper demonstrates the generation of multistage quantum-cascade lasers (QCL) in the 7-8 μm spectral range in the pulse generation mode. The active region structure we used is based on a two-phonon resonance scheme. The QCL heterostructure based on a heteropair of In0.53Ga0.47As/Al0.48In0.52As solid alloys was grown by molecular beam epitaxy and includes 50 identical stages. A waveguide geometry with top cladding with full top metallization (surface- plasmon quantum-cascade lasers) has been used. The developed QCLs have demonstrated multimodal generation in the 7-8 μm spectral range in the pulse mode in the 78-250 K temperature range. The threshold current density for a 1.6 mm long laser and a 20 μm ridge width amounted to ˜ 2.8 kA/cm2 at a temperature of 78 К. A temperature increase to 250 K causes a long-wave shift of the wavelength from 7.6 to 7.9 μm and a jth increase to 5.0 kA/cm2.

Alkali suppression within laser ion-source cavities and time structure of the laser ionized ion-bunches

CERN Document Server

Lettry, Jacques; Köster, U; Georg, U; Jonsson, O; Marzari, S; Fedosseev, V

2003-01-01

The chemical selectivity of the target and ion-source production system is an asset for Radioactive Ion-Beam (RIB) facilities equipped with mass separators. Ionization via laser induced multiple resonant steps Ionization has such selectivity. However, the selectivity of the ISOLDE Resonant Ionization Laser Ion-Source (RILIS), where ionization takes place within high temperature refractory metal cavities, suffers from unwanted surface ionization of low ionization potential alkalis. In order to reduce this type of isobaric contaminant, surface ionization within the target vessel was used. On-line measurements of the efficiency of this method is reported, suppression factors of alkalis up to an order of magnitude were measured as a function of their ionization potential. The time distribution of the ion bunches produced with the RILIS was measured for a variety of elements and high temperature cavity materials. While all ions are produced within a few nanoseconds, the ion bunch sometimes spreads over more than 1...

Femtosecond laser writing of a flat-top interleaver via cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometers.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Jason C; Li, Chengbo; Herman, Peter R; Qian, Li

2012-07-30

A flat-top interleaver consisting of cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) was fabricated in bulk glass by femtosecond laser direct writing. Spectral contrast ratios of greater than 15 dB were demonstrated over a 30 nm bandwidth for 3 nm channel spacing. The observed spectral response agreed well with a standard transfer matrix model generated from responses of individual optical components, demonstrating the possibility for multi-component optical design as well as sufficient process accuracy and fabrication consistency for femtosecond laser writing of advanced optical circuits in three dimensions.

Indirect absorption spectroscopy using quantum cascade lasers: mid-infrared refractometry and photothermal spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfeifer, Marcel; Ruf, Alexander; Fischer, Peer

2013-11-04

We record vibrational spectra with two indirect schemes that depend on the real part of the index of refraction: mid-infrared refractometry and photothermal spectroscopy. In the former, a quantum cascade laser (QCL) spot is imaged to determine the angles of total internal reflection, which yields the absorption line via a beam profile analysis. In the photothermal measurements, a tunable QCL excites vibrational resonances of a molecular monolayer, which heats the surrounding medium and changes its refractive index. This is observed with a probe laser in the visible. Sub-monolayer sensitivities are demonstrated.

Advances in quantum cascade lasers for security and crime-fighting

Science.gov (United States)

Normand, Erwan L.; Stokes, Robert J.; Hay, Kenneth; Foulger, Brian; Lewis, Colin

2010-10-01

Advances in the application of Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCL) to trace gas detection will be presented. The solution is real time (~1 μsec per scan), is insensitive to turbulence and vibration, and performs multiple measurements in one sweep. The QCL provides a large dynamic range, which is a linear response from ppt to % level. The concentration can be derived with excellent immunity from cross interference. Point sensing sensors developed by Cascade for home made and commercial explosives operate by monitoring key constituents in real time and matching this to a spatial event (i.e. sniffer device placed close to an object or person walking through portal (overt or covert). Programmable signature detection capability allows for detection of multiple chemical compounds along the most likely array of explosive chemical formulation. The advantages of configuration as "point sensing" or "stand off" will be discussed. In addition to explosives this method is highly applicable to the detection of mobile drugs labs through volatile chemical release.

Widely tunable single-/dual-wavelength fiber lasers with ultra-narrow linewidth and high OSNR using high quality passive subring cavity and novel tuning method.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Ting; Ding, Dongliang; Yan, Fengping; Zhao, Ziwei; Su, Hongxin; Yao, X Steve

2016-08-22

High stability single- and dual-wavelength compound cavity erbium-doped fiber lasers (EDFLs) with ultra-narrow linewidth, high optical signal to noise ratio (OSNR) and widely tunable range are demonstrated. Different from using traditional cascaded Type-1/Type-2 fiber rings as secondary cavities, we nest a Type-1 ring inside a Type-2 ring to form a passive subring cavity to achieve single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) lasing with ultra-narrow linewidth for the first time. We also show that the SLM lasing stability can be further improved by inserting a length of polarization maintaining fiber in the Type-2 ring. Using a uniform fiber Bragg grating (FBG) and two superimposed FBGs as mode restricting elements, respectively, we obtain a single-wavelength EDFL with a linewidth as narrow as 715 Hz and an OSNR as high as 73 dB, and a dual-wavelength EDFL with linewidths less than 1 kHz and OSNRs higher than 68 dB for both lasing wavelengths. Finally, by employing a novel self-designed strain adjustment device capable of applying both the compression and tension forces to the FBGs for wavelength tuning, we achieve the tuning range larger than 10 nm for both of the EDFLs.

All passive architecture for high efficiency cascaded Raman conversion

Science.gov (United States)

Balaswamy, V.; Arun, S.; Chayran, G.; Supradeepa, V. R.

2018-02-01

Cascaded Raman fiber lasers have offered a convenient method to obtain scalable, high-power sources at various wavelength regions inaccessible with rare-earth doped fiber lasers. A limitation previously was the reduced efficiency of these lasers. Recently, new architectures have been proposed to enhance efficiency, but this came at the cost of enhanced complexity, requiring an additional low-power, cascaded Raman laser. In this work, we overcome this with a new, all-passive architecture for high-efficiency cascaded Raman conversion. We demonstrate our architecture with a fifth-order cascaded Raman converter from 1117nm to 1480nm with output power of ~64W and efficiency of 60%.

High efficiency and high-energy intra-cavity beam shaping laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Hailong; Meng, Junqing; Chen, Weibiao

2015-01-01

We present a technology of intra-cavity laser beam shaping with theory and experiment to obtain a flat-top-like beam with high-pulse energy. A radial birefringent element (RBE) was used in a crossed Porro prism polarization output coupling resonator to modulate the phase delay radially. The reflectively of a polarizer used as an output mirror was variable radially. A flat-top-like beam with 72.5 mJ, 11 ns at 20 Hz was achieved by a side-pumped Nd:YAG zigzag slab laser, and the optical-to-optical conversion efficiency was 17.3%. (paper)

High efficiency and high-energy intra-cavity beam shaping laser

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Hailong; Meng, Junqing; Chen, Weibiao

2015-09-01

We present a technology of intra-cavity laser beam shaping with theory and experiment to obtain a flat-top-like beam with high-pulse energy. A radial birefringent element (RBE) was used in a crossed Porro prism polarization output coupling resonator to modulate the phase delay radially. The reflectively of a polarizer used as an output mirror was variable radially. A flat-top-like beam with 72.5 mJ, 11 ns at 20 Hz was achieved by a side-pumped Nd:YAG zigzag slab laser, and the optical-to-optical conversion efficiency was 17.3%.

Continuous wave power scaling in high power broad area quantum cascade lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Suttinger, M.; Leshin, J.; Go, R.; Figueiredo, P.; Shu, H.; Lyakh, A.

2018-02-01

Experimental and model results for high power broad area quantum cascade lasers are presented. Continuous wave power scaling from 1.62 W to 2.34 W has been experimentally demonstrated for 3.15 mm-long, high reflection-coated 5.6 μm quantum cascade lasers with 15 stage active region for active region width increased from 10 μm to 20 μm. A semi-empirical model for broad area devices operating in continuous wave mode is presented. The model uses measured pulsed transparency current, injection efficiency, waveguide losses, and differential gain as input parameters. It also takes into account active region self-heating and sub-linearity of pulsed power vs current laser characteristic. The model predicts that an 11% improvement in maximum CW power and increased wall plug efficiency can be achieved from 3.15 mm x 25 μm devices with 21 stages of the same design but half doping in the active region. For a 16-stage design with a reduced stage thickness of 300Å, pulsed roll-over current density of 6 kA/cm2 , and InGaAs waveguide layers; optical power increase of 41% is projected. Finally, the model projects that power level can be increased to 4.5 W from 3.15 mm × 31 μm devices with the baseline configuration with T0 increased from 140 K for the present design to 250 K.

Quantum Cascade Laser-Based Photoacoustic Sensor for Trace Detection of Formaldehyde Gas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pietro Mario Lugarà

2009-04-01

Full Text Available We report on the development of a photoacoustic sensor for the detection of formaldehyde (CH2O using a thermoelectrically cooled distributed-feedback quantum cascade laser operating in pulsed mode at 5.6 mm. A resonant photoacoustic cell, equipped with four electret microphones, is excited in its first longitudinal mode at 1,380 Hz. The absorption line at 1,778.9 cm-1 is selected for CH2O detection. A detection limit of 150 parts per billion in volume in nitrogen is achieved using a 10 seconds time constant and 4 mW laser power. Measurements in ambient air will require water vapour filters.

Common mode frequency instability in internally phase-locked terahertz quantum cascade lasers.

Science.gov (United States)

Wanke, M C; Grine, A D; Fuller, C T; Nordquist, C D; Cich, M J; Reno, J L; Lee, Mark

2011-11-21

Feedback from a diode mixer integrated into a 2.8 THz quantum cascade laser (QCL) was used to phase lock the difference frequencies (DFs) among the Fabry-Perot (F-P) longitudinal modes of a QCL. Approximately 40% of the DF power was phase locked, consistent with feedback loop bandwidth of 10 kHz and phase noise bandwidth ~0.5 MHz. While the locked DF signal has ≤ 1 Hz linewidth and negligible drift over ~30 min, mixing measurements between two QCLs and between a QCL and molecular gas laser show that the common mode frequency stability is no better than a free-running QCL. © 2011 Optical Society of America

3.1 W narrowband blue external cavity diode laser

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Jue; Ren, Huaijin; Zhou, Kun; Li, Yi; Du, Weichuan; Gao, Songxin; Li, Ruijun; Liu, Jianping; Li, Deyao; Yang, Hui

2018-03-01

We reported a high-power narrowband blue diode laser which is suitable for subsequent nonlinear frequency conversion into the deep ultraviolet (DUV) spectral range. The laser is based on an external cavity diode laser (ECDL) system using a commercially available GaN-based high-power blue laser diode emitting at 448 nm. Longitudinal mode selection is realized by using a surface diffraction grating in Littrow configuration. The diffraction efficiency of the grating was optimized by controlling the polarization state of the laser beam incident on the grating. A maximum optical output power of 3.1 W in continuous-wave operation with a spectral width of 60 pm and a side-mode suppression ratio (SMSR) larger than 10 dB at 448.4 nm is achieved. Based on the experimental spectra and output powers, the theoretical efficiency and output power of the subsequent nonlinear frequency conversion were calculated according to the Boyd- Kleinman theory. The single-pass conversion efficiency and output power is expected to be 1.9×10-4 and 0.57 mW, respectively, at the 3.1 W output power of the ECDL. The high-power narrowband blue diode laser is very promising as pump source in the subsequent nonlinear frequency conversion.

Efficient quasi-three-level Nd:YAG laser at 946 nm pumped by a tunable external cavity tapered diode laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cheng, Haynes Pak Hay; Jensen, Ole Bjarlin; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter

2010-01-01

Using a tunable external cavity tapered diode laser (ECDL) pumped quasi-three-level Nd:YAG laser, a fivefold reduction in threshold and twofold increase in slope efficiency is demonstrated when compared to a traditional broad area diode laser pump source. A TEM00 power of 800 mW with 65% slope...... efficiency is obtained, the highest reported TEM00 power from any 946 nm Nd:YAG laser pumped by a single emitter diode laser pump source. A quantum efficiency of 0.85 has been estimated from experimental data using a simple quasi-three-level model. The reported value is in good agreement with published...

Sub-monolayer dot vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blokhin, S.A.; Maleev, N.A.; Kuz'menkov, A.G.

2006-01-01

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) based on submonolayer InGaAs quantum-dot active region and doped with AlGaAs/GaAs distributed Bragg reflectors were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. 3 μm aperture single-mode VCSELs demonstrate lasing at 980 nm with threshold current of 0.6 mA, maximum output power of 4 mW and external differential efficiency as high as 68%. Ultimately low internal optical losses were measured for these multimode sub-monolayer quantum dot VCSELs [ru

On the use of a chirped Bragg grating as a cavity mirror of a picosecond Nd : YAG laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zubko, A E; Shashkov, E V; Smirnov, A V; Vorob' ev, N S [A M Prokhorov General Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation); Smirnov, V I [OptiGrate Corp., 562 South Econ Circle, Oviedo, Florida 32765-4311 (United States)

2016-02-28

The first experimental evidence is presented that the use of a chirped volume Bragg grating (CVBG) as a cavity mirror of a Q-switched picosecond Nd : YAG laser with self-mode-locking leads to significant changes in the temporal parameters of the laser output. Measurements have been performed at two positions of the CVBG: with the grating placed so that shorter wavelengths reflected from its front part lead longer wavelengths or with the grating rotated through 180°, so that longer wavelengths are reflected first. In the former case, the duration of individual pulses in a train increased from ∼35 to ∼300 ps, whereas the pulse train shape and duration remained the same as in the case of a conventional laser with a mirror cavity. In the latter case, the full width at half maximum of pulse trains increased from ∼70 ns (Nd : YAG laser with a mirror cavity) to ∼1 ms, and the duration of individual pulses increased from 35 ps to ∼1.2 ns, respectively, which is more typical of free-running laser operation. (laser crystals and braggg ratings)

Cavity-enhanced resonant photoacoustic spectroscopy with optical feedback cw diode lasers: A novel technique for ultratrace gas analysis and high-resolution spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Hippler, Michael; Mohr, Christian; Keen, Katherine A; McNaghten, Edward D

2010-07-28

Cavity-enhanced resonant photoacoustic spectroscopy with optical feedback cw diode lasers (OF-CERPAS) is introduced as a novel technique for ultratrace gas analysis and high-resolution spectroscopy. In the scheme, a single-mode cw diode laser (3 mW, 635 nm) is coupled into a high-finesse linear cavity and stabilized to the cavity by optical feedback. Inside the cavity, a build-up of laser power to at least 2.5 W occurs. Absorbing gas phase species inside the cavity are detected with high sensitivity by the photoacoustic effect using a microphone embedded in the cavity. To increase sensitivity further, coupling into the cavity is modulated at a frequency corresponding to a longitudinal resonance of an organ pipe acoustic resonator (f=1.35 kHz and Q approximately 10). The technique has been characterized by measuring very weak water overtone transitions near 635 nm. Normalized noise-equivalent absorption coefficients are determined as alpha approximately 4.4x10(-9) cm(-1) s(1/2) (1 s integration time) and 2.6x10(-11) cm(-1) s(1/2) W (1 s integration time and 1 W laser power). These sensitivities compare favorably with existing state-of-the-art techniques. As an advantage, OF-CERPAS is a "zero-background" method which increases selectivity and sensitivity, and its sensitivity scales with laser power.

Evolution of the Novalux extended cavity surface-emitting semiconductor laser (NECSEL)

Science.gov (United States)

McInerney, John G.

2016-03-01

Novalux Inc was an enterprise founded by Aram Mooradian in 1998 to commercialise a novel electrically pumped vertical extended cavity semiconductor laser platform, initially aiming to produce pump lasers for optical fiber telecommunication networks. Following successful major investment in 2000, the company developed a range of single- and multi-mode 980 nm pump lasers emitting from 100-500 mW with excellent beam quality and efficiency. This rapid development required solution of several significant problems in chip and external cavity design, substrate and DBR mirror optimization, thermal engineering and mode selection. Output coupling to single mode fiber was exceptional. Following the collapse of the long haul telecom market in late 2001, a major reorientation of effort was undertaken, initially to develop compact 60-100 mW hybrid monolithically integrated pumplets for metro/local amplified networks, then to frequency-doubled blue light emitters for biotech, reprographics and general scientific applications. During 2001-3 I worked at Novalux on a career break from University College Cork, first as R&D Director managing a small group tasked with producing new capabilities and product options based on the NECSEL platform, including high power, pulsed and frequency doubled versions, then in 2002 as Director of New Product Realization managing the full engineering team, leading the transition to frequency doubled products.

An asymmetric integrated extended cavity 20GHz mode-locked quantum well ring laser fabricated in the JePPIX technology platform

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tahvili, M.S.; Barbarin, Y.; Ambrosius, H.P.M.M.; Smit, M.K.; Bente, E.A.J.M.; Leijtens, X.J.M.; Vries, de T.; Smalbrugge, E.; Bolk, J.

2011-01-01

In this paper, we present mode-locked operation of a monolithic 20GHz integrated extended cavity ring laser. The 4mm-long laser ring cavity incorporates a 750µm-long optical amplifier section (SOA), a separate 40µm long saturable absorber (SA) section, passive waveguide sections (shallow and deep

Laser of optical fiber composed by two coupled cavities: application as optical fiber sensor; Laser de fibra optica compuesto por dos cavidades acopladas: aplicacion como sensor de fibra optica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vazquez S, R.A.; Kuzin, E.A.; Ibarra E, B. [Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica (INAOE), A.P. 51 y 216, 72000 Puebla (Mexico); May A, M. [Universidad Autonoma del Carmen (UNACAR) Av. 56 No. 4 por Av. Concordia, Campeche (Mexico); Shlyagin, M.; Marquez B, I. [Centro de Investigacion Cientifica y de Ensenanza Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), 22860 Ensenada, Baja California (Mexico)]. e-mail: ravsa100@hotmail.com

2004-07-01

We show an optical fiber laser sensor which consist of two cavities coupled and three fiber Bragg gratings. We used one Bragg grating (called reference) and two Bragg gratings (called sensors), which have the lower reflection wavelength. The reference grating with the two sensors grating make two cavities: first one is the internal cavity which has 4230 m of length and the another one is the external cavity which has 4277 m of length. Measuring the laser beating frequency for a resonance cavity and moving the frequency peaks when the another cavity is put in resonance, we prove that the arrangement can be used as a two points sensor for determining the difference of temperature or stress between these two points. (Author)

Dual-wavelength DFB quantum cascade lasers: sources for multi-species trace gas spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Kapsalidis, Filippos; Shahmohammadi, Mehran; Süess, Martin J.; Wolf, Johanna M.; Gini, Emilio; Beck, Mattias; Hundt, Morten; Tuzson, Béla; Emmenegger, Lukas; Faist, Jérôme

2018-06-01

We report on the design, fabrication, and performance of dual-wavelength distributed-feedback (DFB) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) emitting at several wavelengths in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectrum. In this work, two new designs are presented: for the first one, called "Neighbour" DFB, two single-mode DFB QCLs are fabricated next to each other, with minimal lateral distance, to allow efficient beam-coupling into multi-pass gas cells. In addition, the minimal distance allows either laser to be used as an integrated heater for the other, allowing to extend the tuning range of its neighbour without any electrical cross-talk. For the second design, the Vernier effect was used to realize a switchable DFB laser, with two target wavelengths which are distant by about 300 cm^{-1}. These devices are promising laser sources for Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy applications targeting simultaneous detection of multiple gasses, with distant spectral features, in compact and mobile setups.

A novel near real-time laser scanning device for geometrical determination of pleural cavity surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Michele M; Zhu, Timothy C

2013-02-02

During HPPH-mediated pleural photodynamic therapy (PDT), it is critical to determine the anatomic geometry of the pleural surface quickly as there may be movement during treatment resulting in changes with the cavity. We have developed a laser scanning device for this purpose, which has the potential to obtain the surface geometry in real-time. A red diode laser with a holographic template to create a pattern and a camera with auto-focusing abilities are used to scan the cavity. In conjunction with a calibration with a known surface, we can use methods of triangulation to reconstruct the surface. Using a chest phantom, we are able to obtain a 360 degree scan of the interior in under 1 minute. The chest phantom scan was compared to an existing CT scan to determine its accuracy. The laser-camera separation can be determined through the calibration with 2mm accuracy. The device is best suited for environments that are on the scale of a chest cavity (between 10cm and 40cm). This technique has the potential to produce cavity geometry in real-time during treatment. This would enable PDT treatment dosage to be determined with greater accuracy. Works are ongoing to build a miniaturized device that moves the light source and camera via a fiber-optics bundle commonly used for endoscopy with increased accuracy.

Phase locking of a 2.7 THz quantum cascade laser to a microwave reference

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Khosropanah, P.; Baryshev, A.; Zhang, W.; Jellema, W.; Hovenier, J.N.; Gao, J.R.; Klapwijk, T.M.; Paveliev, D.G.; Williams, B.S.; Kumar, S.; Hu, Q.; Reno, J.L.; Klein, B.; Hesler, J.L.

2009-01-01

We demonstrate the phase locking of a 2.7 THz metal–metal waveguide quantum cascade laser (QCL) to an external microwave signal. The reference is the 15th harmonic, generated by a semiconductor superlattice nonlinear device, of a signal at 182 GHz, which itself is generated by a multiplier chain

Phase locking of a 2.7 THz quantum cascade laser to a microwave reference

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Khosropanah, P.; Baryshev, A.; Zhang, W.; Jellema, W.; Hovenier, J. N.; Gao, J. R.; Klapwijk, T. M.; Paveliev, D. G.; Williams, B. S.; Kumar, S.; Hu, Q.; Reno, J. L.; Klein, B.; Hesler, J. L.

2009-01-01

We demonstrate the phase locking of a 2.7 THz metal-metal waveguide quantum cascade laser (QCL) to an external microwave signal. The reference is the 15th harmonic, generated by a semiconductor superlattice nonlinear device, of a signal at 182 GHz, which itself is generated by a multiplier chain

Cascade conical refraction for annular pumping of a vortex Nd:YAG laser and selective excitation of low- and high-order Laguerre–Gaussian modes

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Yongxiao; Wang, Zhongyang; Chen, Sanbin; Shirakwa, Akira; Ueda, Ken-ichi; Li, Jianlang

2018-05-01

We proposed an efficient and vortex Nd:YAG laser for selective lasing of low- and high-order vortex modes, in which multiple-ring pump light was originated from cascaded conical refraction of multiple biaxial crystals. In our proof of concept demonstration, we used two-crystal cascade conical refraction to generate two-ring pump light; the mutual intensity ratio and relative separation of the inner ring and outer ring were controlled by rotating the second biaxial crystal and by moving the imaging lens, respectively. As a result, we obtained selective excitation of Laguerre–Gaussian (LG01 and LG03) vortex modes in the end-pump Nd:YAG laser. For LG01-mode output, the laser power reached 439 mW with 52.5% slope efficiency; for LG03-mode output, the laser power reached 160 mW with 41.3% slope efficiency. Our results revealed that the multiple-ring pumping technique based on cascaded conical refraction would pave the way for realization of the efficient and switchable excitation of low- and high-order LG modes in an end-pumped solid-state laser.

Stability of a laser cavity with non-parabolic phase transformation elements

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Litvin, IA

2013-05-01

Full Text Available aberration in high–power transversally pumped laser rods,” Opt. Commun. 259(1), 223–235 (2006). 14. A. G. Fox and T. Li, “Resonant Modes in a Maser Interferometer,” Bell Syst. Tech. J. 40, 453–488 (1961). 15. O. Svelto, Principles of Lasers, 3rd edition.... Consequently the intra-cavity implementation of any non-conventional phase transformation elements or taking into account the thermal lensing which in general has a non-parabolic phase transformation [13], leads to a solution of the complicated Fox...

Numerical investigations on the performance of external-cavity mode-locked semiconductor lasers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mulet, Josep; Mørk, Jesper

2004-01-01

The performance of an external-cavity mode-locked semiconductor laser is analyzed theoretically and numerically. Passive mode-locking is described using a fully-distributed time-domain model including fast effects, spectral hole burning and carrier heating. We provide optimization rules in order ...

Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers from all-inorganic perovskite quantum dots

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Handong; Wang, Yue; Li, Xiaoming; Zeng, Haibo

We report the breakthrough in realizing the challenging while practically desirable vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) based on the CsPbX3 inorganic perovskite nanocrystals (IPNCs). These laser devices feature record low threshold (9 µJ/cm2), unidirectional output (beam divergence of 3.6º) and superb stability. We show that both single-mode and multimode lasing operation are achievable in the device. In contrast to traditional metal chacogenide colloidal quantum dots based lasers where the pump thresholds for the green and blue wavelengths are typically much higher than that of the red, these CsPbX3 IPNC-VCSEL devices are able to lase with comparable thresholds across the whole visible spectral range, which is appealing for achieving single source-pumped full-color lasers. We further reveal that these lasers can operate in quasi-steady state regime, which is very practical and cost-effective. Given the facile solution processibility, our CsPbX3 IPNC-VCSEL devices may hold great potential in developing low-cost yet high-performance lasers, promising in revolutionizing the vacuum-based epitaxial semiconductor lasers.

Rapid-swept CW cavity ring-down laser spectroscopy for carbon isotope analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tomita, Hideki; Watanabe, Kenichi; Takiguchi, Yu; Kawarabayashi, Jun; Iguchi, Tetsuo

2006-01-01

With the aim of developing a portable system for an in field isotope analysis, we investigate an isotope analysis based on rapid-swept CW cavity ring-down laser spectroscopy, in which the concentration of a chemical species is derived from its photo absorbance. Such a system can identify the isotopomer and still be constructed as a quite compact system. We have made some basic experimental measurements of the overtone absorption lines of carbon dioxide ( 12 C 16 O 2 , 13 C 16 O 2 ) by rapid-swept cavity ring-down spectroscopy with a CW infrared diode laser at 6,200 cm -1 (1.6 μm). The isotopic ratio has been obtained as (1.07±0.13)x10 -2 , in good agreement with the natural abundance within experimental uncertainty. The detection sensitivity in absorbance has been estimated to be 3x10 -8 cm -1 . (author)

Tunable single and dual mode operation of an external cavity quantum-dot injection laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biebersdorf, A; Lingk, C; De Giorgi, M; Feldmann, J; Sacher, J; Arzberger, M; Ulbrich, C; Boehm, G; Amann, M-C; Abstreiter, G

2003-01-01

We investigate quantum-dot (QD) lasers in an external cavity using Littrow and Littman configurations. Here, we report on a continuously tunable QD laser with a broad tuning range from 1047 to 1130 nm with high stability and efficient side mode suppression. The full-width at half-maximum of the laser line is 0.85 nm determined mainly by the quality of the external grating. This laser can be operated in a dual-mode modus, where the mode-spacing can be tuned continuously between 1.1 and 34 nm. Simultaneous emission of the two laser modes is shown by sum frequency generation experiments

Carrier transport in THz quantum cascade lasers: Are Green's functions necessary?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matyas, A; Jirauschek, C; Kubis, T; Lugli, P

2009-01-01

We have applied two different simulation models for the stationary carrier transport and optical gain analysis in resonant phonon depopulation THz Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs), based on the semiclassical ensemble Monte Carlo (EMC) and fully quantum mechanical non-equilibrium Green's functions (NEGF) method, respectively. We find in the incoherent regime near and above the threshold current a qualitative and quantitative agreement of both methods. Therefore, we show that THz-QCLs can be successfully optimized utilizing the numerically efficient EMC method.

Strain-free Ge/GeSiSn Quantum Cascade Lasers Based on L-Valley Intersubband Transitions

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Soret, R. A; Sun, G; Cheng, H; Menendez, J; Khurgin, J

2007-01-01

The authors propose a Ge/Ge0.76Si0.19Sn0.05 quantum cascade laser using intersubband transitions at L valleys of the conduction band which has a clean offset of 150 meV situated below other energy valleys Gamma and X...

Pump-probe differencing technique for cavity-enhanced, noise-canceling saturation laser spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

de Vine, Glenn; McClelland, David E; Gray, Malcolm B; Close, John D

2005-05-15

We present an experimental technique that permits mechanical-noise-free, cavity-enhanced frequency measurements of an atomic transition and its hyperfine structure. We employ the 532-nm frequency-doubled output from a Nd:YAG laser and an iodine vapor cell. The cell is placed in a folded ring cavity (FRC) with counterpropagating pump and probe beams. The FRC is locked with the Pound-Drever-Hall technique. Mechanical noise is rejected by differencing the pump and probe signals. In addition, this differenced error signal provides a sensitive measure of differential nonlinearity within the FRC.

Center frequency shift and reduction of feedback in directly modulated external cavity lasers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schiellerup, G.; Pedersen, Rune Johan Skullerud; Olesen, H.

1989-01-01

It is shown experimentally and theoretically that a center frequency shift occurs when an external cavity laser is directly modulated. The shift can be observed even when the frequency deviation is small compared to the roundtrip frequency of the external cavity and can qualitatively be explained...... by a reduction in the effective feedback level due to modulation. The frequency shift was measured as a function of modulation frequency and current, and frequency shifts up to 350 MHz were observed...

Mid infrared quantum cascade laser operating in pure amplitude modulation for background-free trace gas spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Bidaux, Yves; Bismuto, Alfredo; Patimisco, Pietro; Sampaolo, Angelo; Gresch, Tobias; Strubi, Gregory; Blaser, Stéphane; Tittel, Frank K; Spagnolo, Vincenzo; Muller, Antoine; Faist, Jérôme

2016-11-14

We present a single mode multi-section quantum cascade laser source composed of three different sections: master oscillator, gain and phase section. Non-uniform pumping of the QCL's gain reveals that the various laser sections are strongly coupled. Simulations of the electronic and optical properties of the laser (based on the density matrix and scattering matrix formalisms, respectively) were performed and a good agreement with measurements is obtained. In particular, a pure modulation of the laser output power can be achieved. This capability of the device is applied in tunable-laser spectroscopy of N2O where background-free quartz enhanced photo acoustic spectral scans with nearly perfect Voigt line shapes for the selected absorption line are obtained.

Identification of amplitude and timing jitter in external-cavity mode-locked semiconductor lasers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mulet, Josep; Mørk, Jesper; Kroh, Marcel

2004-01-01

We theoretically and experimentally investigate the dynamics of external-cavity mode-locked semiconductor lasers, focusing on stability properties, optimization of pulsewidth and timing jitter. A new numerical approach allows to clearly separate timing and amplitude jitter....

Instability of stationary lasing and self-starting mode locking in external-cavity semiconductor lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smetanin, Igor V; Vasil'ev, Petr P

2009-01-01

Parameters of external-cavity semiconductor lasers, when the stationary lasing becomes unstable, were analysed within the framework of a theoretical model of self-starting mode locking. In this case, a train of ultrashort pulses can be generated due to intrinsic nonlinearities of the laser medium. A decisive role of the transverse optical field nonuniformity, pump rate, and gain spectral bandwidth in the development of the instability of stationary lasing was demonstrated. (control of laser radiation parameters)

Characterization technique for long optical fiber cavities based on beating spectrum of multi-longitudinal mode fiber laser and beating spectrum in the RF domain

Science.gov (United States)

Adib, George A.; Sabry, Yasser M.; Khalil, Diaa

2016-03-01

The characterization of long fiber cavities is essential for many systems to predict the system practical performance. The conventional techniques for optical cavity characterization are not suitable for long fiber cavities due to the cavities' small free spectral ranges and due to the length variations caused by the environmental effects. In this work, we present a novel technique to characterize long fiber cavities using multi-longitudinal mode fiber laser source and RF spectrum analyzer. The fiber laser source is formed in a ring configuration, where the fiber laser cavity length is chosen to be 15 km to ensure that the free spectral range is much smaller than the free spectral range of the characterized passive fiber cavities. The method has been applied experimentally to characterize ring cavities with lengths of 6.2 m and 2.4 km. The results are compared to theoretical predictions with very good agreement.

Cavity-enhanced spectroscopies

CERN Document Server

van Zee, Roger

2003-01-01

""Cavity-Enhanced Spectroscopy"" discusses the use of optical resonators and lasers to make sensitive spectroscopic measurements. This volume is written by the researcchers who pioneered these methods. The book reviews both the theory and practice behind these spectroscopic tools and discusses the scientific discoveries uncovered by these techniques. It begins with a chapter on the use of optical resonators for frequency stabilization of lasers, which is followed by in-depth chapters discussing cavity ring-down spectroscopy, frequency-modulated, cavity-enhanced spectroscopy, intracavity spectr

New cascade laser transitions in CH2F2 pumped with the 9R32 line of a cw CO2 laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nieswand, C.

1991-11-01

New cascade laser transitions of 12 CH 2 F 2 at 172.50μm, 208.83μm, 220.44μm, 223.99μm,and 250.61μm are reported. A waveguide FIR laser was pumped with a quasi cw 12 C 16 O 2 laser operating on the 9R32 line. Together with the already known lines at 184.3μm, 196.1μm and 235.9μm, the laser lines can be assigned to rotational transitions in the ν 9 vibrational band of 12 CH 2 F 2 and to refill transitions of the vibrational ground state ν 0 . 1 fig., 2 tabs., 6 refs. (author)

Liquid detection with InGaAsP semiconductor lasers having multiple short external cavities.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, X; Cassidy, D T

1996-08-20

A liquid detection system consisting of a diode laser with multiple short external cavities (MSXC's) is reported. The MSXC diode laser operates single mode on one of 18 distinct modes that span a range of 72 nm. We selected the modes by setting the length of one of the external cavities using a piezoelectric positioner. One can measure the transmission through cells by modulating the injection current at audio frequencies and using phase-sensitive detection to reject the ambient light and reduce 1/f noise. A method to determine regions of single-mode operation by the rms of the output of the laser is described. The transmission data were processed by multivariate calibration techniques, i.e., partial least squares and principal component regression. Water concentration in acetone was used to demonstrate the performance of the system. A correlation coefficient of R(2) = 0.997 and 0.29% root-mean-square error of prediction are found for water concentration over the range of 2-19%.

Methane concentration and isotopic composition measurements with a mid-infrared quantum-cascade laser

Science.gov (United States)

Kosterev, A. A.; Curl, R. F.; Tittel, F. K.; Gmachl, C.; Capasso, F.; Sivco, D. L.; Baillargeon, J. N.; Hutchinson, A. L.; Cho, A. Y.

1999-01-01

A quantum-cascade laser operating at a wavelength of 8.1 micrometers was used for high-sensitivity absorption spectroscopy of methane (CH4). The laser frequency was continuously scanned with current over more than 3 cm-1, and absorption spectra of the CH4 nu 4 P branch were recorded. The measured laser linewidth was 50 MHz. A CH4 concentration of 15.6 parts in 10(6) ( ppm) in 50 Torr of air was measured in a 43-cm path length with +/- 0.5-ppm accuracy when the signal was averaged over 400 scans. The minimum detectable absorption in such direct absorption measurements is estimated to be 1.1 x 10(-4). The content of 13CH4 and CH3D species in a CH4 sample was determined.

Laser polishing of niobium for application to superconducting radio frequency cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singaravelu, Senthil; Klopf, John Michael; Xu, Chen; Krafft, Geoffrey; Kelley, Michael J.

2012-01-01

Superconducting radio frequency niobium cavities are at the heart of an increasing number of particle accelerators. Their performance is dominated by a several nanometer thick layer at the interior surface. Maximizing the smoothness of this surface is critical, and aggressive chemical treatments are now employed to this end. The authors describe laser-induced surface melting as an alternative 'greener' approach. Selection of laser parameters guided by modeling achieved melting that reduced the surface roughness from the fabrication process. The resulting topography was examined by scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope (AFM). Plots of power spectral density computed from the AFM data give further insight into the effect of laser melting on the topography of the mechanically polished (only) niobium

VCSELs Fundamentals, Technology and Applications of Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers

CERN Document Server

2013-01-01

The huge progress which has been achieved in the field is covered here, in the first comprehensive monograph on vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) since eight years. Apart from chapters reviewing the research field and the laser fundamentals, there are comprehensive updates on red and blue emitting VCSELs, telecommunication VCSELs, optical transceivers, and parallel-optical links for computer interconnects. Entirely new contributions are made to the fields of vectorial three-dimensional optical modeling, single-mode VCSELs, polarization control, polarization dynamics, very-high-speed design, high-power emission, use of high-contrast gratings, GaInNAsSb long-wavelength VCSELs, optical video links, VCSELs for optical mice and sensing, as well as VCSEL-based laser printing. The book appeals to researchers, optical engineers and graduate students.

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser vapor sensor using swelling polymer reflection modulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ansbæk, Thor; Nielsen, Claus Højgård; Dohn, Søren

2012-01-01

Vapor detection using a low-refractive index polymer for reflection modulation of the top mirror in a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is demonstrated. The VCSEL sensor concept presents a simple method to detect the response of a sensor polymer in the presence of volatile organic...

Numerical Investigation of Vertical Cavity Lasers With High-Contrast Gratings Using the Fourier Modal Method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Taghizadeh, Alireza; Mørk, Jesper; Chung, Il-Sug

2016-01-01

We explore the use of a modal expansion technique, Fourier modal method (FMM), for investigating the optical properties of vertical cavities employing high-contrast gratings (HCGs). Three techniques for determining the resonance frequency and quality factor (Q-factor) of a cavity mode are compared......, the scattering losses of several HCG-based vertical cavities with inplane heterostructures which have promising prospects for fundamental physics studies and on-chip laser applications, are investigated. This type of parametric study of 3D structures would be numerically very demanding using spatial...

Integration of quantum cascade lasers and passive waveguides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Montoya, Juan, E-mail: juan.montoya@ll.mit.edu; Wang, Christine; Goyal, Anish; Creedon, Kevin; Connors, Michael; Daulton, Jeffrey; Donnelly, Joseph; Missaggia, Leo; Aleshire, Chris; Sanchez-Rubio, Antonio; Herzog, William [MIT Lincoln Laboratory, 244 Wood St, Lexington, Massachusetts 02420 (United States)

2015-07-20

We report on monolithic integration of active quantum cascade laser (QCL) materials with passive waveguides formed by using proton implantation. Proton implantation reduces the electron concentration in the QCL layers by creating deep levels that trap carriers. This strongly reduces the intersubband absorption and the free-carrier absorption in the gain region and surrounding layers, thus significantly reducing optical loss. We have measured loss as low as α = 0.33 cm{sup −1} in λ = 9.6 μm wavelength proton-implanted QCL material. We have also demonstrated lasing in active-passive integrated waveguides. This simple integration technique is anticipated to enable low-cost fabrication in infrared photonic integrated circuits in the mid-infrared (λ ∼ 3–16 μm)

Integration of quantum cascade lasers and passive waveguides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montoya, Juan; Wang, Christine; Goyal, Anish; Creedon, Kevin; Connors, Michael; Daulton, Jeffrey; Donnelly, Joseph; Missaggia, Leo; Aleshire, Chris; Sanchez-Rubio, Antonio; Herzog, William

2015-01-01

We report on monolithic integration of active quantum cascade laser (QCL) materials with passive waveguides formed by using proton implantation. Proton implantation reduces the electron concentration in the QCL layers by creating deep levels that trap carriers. This strongly reduces the intersubband absorption and the free-carrier absorption in the gain region and surrounding layers, thus significantly reducing optical loss. We have measured loss as low as α = 0.33 cm −1 in λ = 9.6 μm wavelength proton-implanted QCL material. We have also demonstrated lasing in active-passive integrated waveguides. This simple integration technique is anticipated to enable low-cost fabrication in infrared photonic integrated circuits in the mid-infrared (λ ∼ 3–16 μm)

Simultaneous multi-laser, multi-species trace-level sensing of gas mixtures by rapidly swept continuous-wave cavity-ringdown spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Yabai; Kan, Ruifeng; Englich, Florian V; Liu, Wenqing; Orr, Brian J

2010-09-13

The greenhouse-gas molecules CO(2), CH(4), and H(2)O are detected in air within a few ms by a novel cavity-ringdown laser-absorption spectroscopy technique using a rapidly swept optical cavity and multi-wavelength coherent radiation from a set of pre-tuned near-infrared diode lasers. The performance of various types of tunable diode laser, on which this technique depends, is evaluated. Our instrument is both sensitive and compact, as needed for reliable environmental monitoring with high absolute accuracy to detect trace concentrations of greenhouse gases in outdoor air.

Surface plasmon quantum cascade lasers as terahertz local oscillators.

Science.gov (United States)

Hajenius, M; Khosropanah, P; Hovenier, J N; Gao, J R; Klapwijk, T M; Barbieri, S; Dhillon, S; Filloux, P; Sirtori, C; Ritchie, D A; Beere, H E

2008-02-15

We characterize a heterodyne receiver based on a surface-plasmon waveguide quantum cascade laser (QCL) emitting at 2.84 THz as a local oscillator, and an NbN hot electron bolometer as a mixer. We find that the envelope of the far-field pattern of the QCL is diffraction-limited and superimposed onto interference fringes, which are similar to those found in narrow double-metal waveguide QCLs. Compared to the latter, a more directional beam allows for better coupling of the radiation power to the mixer. We obtain a receiver noise temperature of 1050 K when the mixer is at 2 K, which, to our knowledge, is the highest sensitivity reported at frequencies beyond 2.5 THz.

Frequency locking of single-mode 3.5-THz quantum cascade lasers using a gas cell

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ren, Y.; Hovenier, J.N.; Cui, M.; Hayton, D.J.; Gao, J.R.; Klapwijk, T.M.; Shi, S.C.; Kao, T.Y.; Hu, Q.; Reno, J.L.

2012-01-01

We report frequency locking of two 3.5-THz third-order distributed feedback (DFB) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) by using methanol molecular absorption lines, a proportional-integral-derivative controller, and a NbN bolometer. We show that the free-running linewidths of the QCLs are dependent on the

Laser Processing on the Surface of Niobium Superconducting Radio-Frequency Accelerator Cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Singaravelu, Senthilraja; Klopf, Michael; Krafft, Geoffrey; Kelley, Michael

2011-03-01

Superconducting Radio frequency (SRF) niobium cavities are at the heart of an increasing number of particle accelerators.~ Their performance is dominated by a several nm thick layer at the interior surface. ~Maximizing its smoothness is found to be critical and aggressive chemical treatments are employed to this end.~ We describe laser-induced surface melting as an alternative ``greener'' approach.~ Modeling guided selection of parameters for irradiation with a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser.~ The resulting topography was examined by SEM, AFM and Stylus Profilometry.

A Dual-Crystal Cavity Ho,Tm:GdVO4 Laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Guo-Li; Ju You-Lun; Yao Bao-Quan; Wang Yue-Zhu

2012-01-01

We report a 31.2 W cw diode-pumped cryogenic Ho(0.4at.%),Tm(4at.%):GdVO 4 laser in a dual-crystal cavity. The pumping sources are two fiber-coupled laser diodes with a fiber core diameter of 0.4 mm, both of which can supply 42 W near 802 nm. With an incident pump power of 70.3 W at 802.4 nm, a cw output power of 31.2 W at 2.05 μm is attained, corresponding to an optical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 44.4%. The M 2 factor is measured as ∼1.3 under an output power of 20 W. (fundamental areas of phenomenology(including applications))

The effect of an Er,Cr:YSGG laser on external adaptation of healthy and decayed cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kabbach, William; Tonetto, Mateus Rodrigues; Campos, Edson Alves; Andrade, Marcelo Ferrarezi; Frizzera, Fausto; Zezéll, Denise Maria; Bandéca, Matheus Coelho; Borges, Alvaro Henrique

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of chlorhexidine and Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation on the bond strength and external adaptation in mixed healthy and caries-affected class V cavities before and after thermal cycling. Thirty-six cavity preparations were made in mixed class V buccal human molars, half of them being artificially caries-induced. Any remaining affected dentin was removed from the cavity with a round burr at low speed. The teeth were divided into six groups, according to cleaning agent for both healthy and caries-induced dentin: no treatment, chlorhexidine and erbium, chromium-doped: yttrium, scandium, gallium, garnet (Er,Cr:YSGG) laser irradiation. A Filtek P90 (3M ESPE, St Paul, MN, USA) silorane adhesive restorative system was used. The specimens were subjected to 5000 thermal cycles (5–55 °C 60 min). Epoxy replicas were obtained to characterize the external adaptation under scanning electron microscopy. The average percentages of non-continuous margins were 5.41% and 6.49% in enamel dentin before thermal cycling and 25% and 33.7% after thermal cycling, respectively. The caries-affected and laser irradiated cavities showed higher non-continuous margins. Thermal cycling was able to raise the percentage of non-continuous margin for all groups. Chlorhexidine did not affect the marginal adaptation results, and the Er,Cr: YSGG laser irradiation showed significantly worse results compared with the control group. (paper)

Frequency and Phase-lock Control of a 3 THz Quantum Cascade Laser

Science.gov (United States)

Betz, A. L.; Boreiko, R. T.; Williams, B. S.; Kumar, S.; Hu, Q.; Reno, J. L.

2005-01-01

We have locked the frequency of a 3 THz quantum cascade laser (QCL) to that of a far-infrared gas laser with a tunable microwave offset frequency. The locked QCL line shape is essentially Gaussian, with linewidths of 65 and 141 kHz at the -3 and -10 dB levels, respectively. The lock condition can be maintained indefinitely, without requiring temperature or bias current regulation of the QCL other than that provided by the lock error signal. The result demonstrates that a terahertz QCL can be frequency controlled with l-part-in-lO(exp 8) accuracy, which is a factor of 100 better than that needed for a local oscillator in a heterodyne receiver for atmospheric and astronomic spectroscopy.

Mode locking of an external cavity asymmetric quantum-well GaAs/AlGaAs semiconductor laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasil'ev, Petr P; Kan, H; Ohta, H; Hiruma, T; Tanaka, K A

2006-01-01

A theoretical model of the optical gain in asymmetric GaAs/AlGaAs quantum-well lasers is developed. It is demonstrated that the emission spectrum of asymmetric GaAs/AlGaAs quantum-well lasers is much broader than that of standard quantum-well lasers. The experimental samples of such lasers and superluminescent diodes with the emission bandwidth exceeding 50 nm are fabricated. Wavelength tunable ultrashort pulses with duration of 1-2 ps at repetition rates of 0.4-1 GHz are obtained by active mode locking of an external cavity laser. (lasers)

Single mode operation in a pulsed Ti:sapphire laser oscillator with a grazing-incidence four-mirror cavity

CERN Document Server

Ko, D K; Binks, D J; Gloster, L A W; King, T A

1998-01-01

We demonstrate stable single mode operation in a pulsed Ti:sapphire laser oscillator with a novel grazing-incidence four-mirror coupled cavity. This cavity consists of a grating, a gain medium, and four mirrors and, therefore, has a four-arm interferometer configuration. Through the interferometric effect, we could suppress the adjacent modes and obtain stable single mode operation with a bandwidth of < 200 MHz. We also have developed a general analysis of the laser modes and the threshold conditions for configuration and the experimental results agree well with the theoretical predictions.

IV-VI mid-IR tunable lasers and detectors with external resonant cavities

Science.gov (United States)

Zogg, H.; Rahim, M.; Khiar, A.; Fill, M.; Felder, F.; Quack, N.; Blunier, S.; Dual, J.

2009-08-01

Wavelength tunable emitters and detectors in the mid-IR wavelength region allow applications including thermal imaging and spectroscopy. Such devices may be realized using a resonant cavity. By mechanically changing the cavity length with MEMS mirror techniques, the wavelengths may be tuned over a considerable range. Vertical external cavity surface emitting lasers (VECSEL) may be applied for gas spectroscopy. Resonant cavity enhanced detectors (RCED) are sensitive at the cavity resonance only. They may be applied for low resolution spectroscopy, and, when arrays of such detectors are realized, as multicolor IR-FPA or IR-AFPA (IR-adaptive focal plane arrays). We review mid-infrared RCEDs and VECSELs using narrow gap IV-VI (lead chalcogenide) materials like PbTe and PbSe as the active medium. IV-VIs are fault tolerant and allow easy wavelength tuning. The VECSELs operate up to above room temperature and emit in the 4 - 5 μm range with a PbSe active layer. RCEDs with PbTe absorbing layers above 200 K operating temperature have higher sensitivities than the theoretical limit for a similar broad-band detector coupled with a passive tunable band-filter.

Scanning electron microscopy evaluation of the interaction pattern between dentin and resin after cavity preparation using Er:YAG laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schein, Marcelo Thome

2001-01-01

The aim of this study was to describe the interaction pattern formed between dentin and resin on cavities prepared with an erbium laser (Er:YAG). The morphological aspect of the irradiated dentin after acid etching was also observed. Ten dentin disks were obtained from fresh extracted third molars. Each disk received two cavities, one prepared with a conventional high-speed drill, while the other cavity was obtained by the use of an Er:YAG laser (KaVo KEY Laser, KaVo Co.). The laser treatment was performed with 250 mJ/pulse, 4 Hz, non contact mode, focused beam, and a fine water mist was used. Five disks were prepared for morphological analysis of the acid etched dentin. The other five disks had their cavities restored with Single Bond (3M) followed by Z100 resin (3M). The specimens were observed under scanning electron microscopy after dentin-resin interface demineralization and deproteinization. It was observed that the morphological characteristics of the acid-etched irradiated dentin were not favorable to the diffusion of monomers through the collagen network. The dentin resin interfacial aspect of irradiated dentin, after acid etching, showed thin tags and scarce hybridization zones, which agreed with the morphology of the irradiated and acid-etched dentin substrate observed. (author)

Direct determination of glucose, lactate and triglycerides in blood serum by a tunable quantum cascade laser-based mid-IR sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Brandstetter, M.; Volgger, L.; Genner, A.; Jungbauer, C.; Lendl, B.

2013-02-01

This work reports on a compact sensor for fast and reagent-free point-of-care determination of glucose, lactate and triglycerides in blood serum based on a tunable (1030-1230 cm-1) external-cavity quantum cascade laser (EC-QCL). For simple and robust operation a single beam set-up was designed and only thermoelectric cooling was used for the employed laser and detector. Full computer control of analysis including liquid handling and data analysis facilitated routine measurements. A high optical pathlength (>100 μm) is a prerequisite for robust measurements in clinical practice. Hence, the optimum optical pathlength for transmission measurements in aqueous solution was considered in theory and experiment. The experimentally determined maximum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was around 140 μm for the QCL blood sensor and around 50 μm for a standard FT-IR spectrometer employing a liquid nitrogen cooled mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) detector. A single absorption spectrum was used to calculate the analyte concentrations simultaneously by using a partial-least-squares (PLS) regression analysis. Glucose was determined in blood serum with a prediction error (RMSEP) of 6.9 mg/dl and triglycerides with an error of cross-validation (RMSECV) of 17.5 mg/dl in a set of 42 different patients. In spiked serum samples the lactate concentration could be determined with an RMSECV of 8.9 mg/dl.

Passive mode locking in a multisegment laser diode with an external cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andreeva, E V; Magnitskiy, Sergey A; Koroteev, Nikolai I; Salik, E; Feinberg, J; Starodubov, D S; Shramenko, M V; Yakubovich, S D

1999-01-01

The structure and operating conditions of multisegment laser (GaAl)As diodes with passive locking of the modes of an external cavity (bulk and fibre) were optimised. Regular trains of optical single pulses of picosecond duration were generated in a spectral range 850 - 860 nm. The peak power of these pulses was several watts and the repetition rate was near 1 GHz. Under certain conditions these output pulses were linearly chirped, i.e. they were suitable for subpicosecond time compression. Laboratory prototypes were made of miniature light-emitting modules with these characteristics. (lasers)

Terahertz repetition frequencies from harmonic mode-locked monolithic compound-cavity laser diodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanson, D. A.; Street, M. W.; McDougall, S. D.; Thayne, I. G.; Marsh, J. H.; Avrutin, E. A.

2001-01-01

Compound-cavity laser diodes are mode locked at a harmonic of the fundamental round-trip frequency to achieve repetition rates of up to 2.1 THz. The devices are fabricated from GaAs/AlGaAs material at a wavelength of 860 nm and incorporate two gain sections with an etched slot reflector between them, and a saturable absorber section. Autocorrelation studies are used to investigate device behavior for different reflector types and reflectivity. These lasers may find applications in terahertz imaging, medicine, ultrafast optical links, and atmospheric sensing. [copyright] 2001 American Institute of Physics

Selection of a LGp0-shaped fundamental mode in a laser cavity: Phase versus amplitude masks

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Hasnaoui, A

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Laser beams of a single high-order transverse mode have been of interest to the laser community for several years now. In order to achieve such a mode as the fundamental mode of the cavity, mode selecting elements in the form of a phase or amplitude...

Optimization of CW Fiber Lasers With Strong Nonlinear Cavity Dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Shtyrina, O. V.; Efremov, S. A.; Yarutkina, I. A.; Skidin, A. S.; Fedoruk, M. P.

2018-04-01

In present work the equation for the saturated gain is derived from one-level gain equations describing the energy evolution inside the laser cavity. It is shown how to derive the parameters of the mathematical model from the experimental results. The numerically-estimated energy and spectrum of the signal are in good agreement with the experiment. Also, the optimization of the output energy is performed for a given set of model parameters.

The Complex Way to Laser Diode Spectra: Example of an External Cavity Laser With Strong Optical Feedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Detoma, Enrico; Tromborg, Bjarne; Montrosset, Ivo

2005-01-01

An external cavity laser with strong grating-filtered feedback to an antireflection-coated facet is studied with a time-domain integral equation for the electric field, which reproduces the modes of the oscillation condition as steady-state solutions. For each mode, the stability and spectral...... to simulate the large signal time evolution after start from unstable modes....

Dynamics and performance of the free electron laser at Super-Aco with a harmonic RF cavity set on 500 MHz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nutarelli, D.

2000-01-01

This work is dedicated to the development of the potentialities of the free electron laser that has been installed on the storage ring Super-Aco at Orsay university. We have studied the dynamics of the electron beam inside a harmonic RF cavity set on 500 MHz. The impact of the geometric characteristics of the optical cavity on the transverse overlapping between laser radiation and the electron beam has been studied in details. An important part of the work has been the assessment of the optical characterization of the dielectric multi-layer mirrors of the cavity. For that purpose a complete system has been designed to assess the changes in optical properties of mirrors during laser operation. Another important part of this work was the study of the interaction process between laser radiation and the electron bunch leading to saturation. This interaction process has been simulated through a new model and some predictions given by this model have been successfully confronted to experimental data. The installation of the harmonic RF cavity has led to a significant increase of the laser radiation gain and the value of the mean power of the laser radiation has reached 300 mW. An interesting application of this technique is the generation of high energy gamma photons through Compton backscattering. A collimated 35 MeV-energy photon beam has been produced at Super-Aco with a rate of 5.10 6 photons per second. (A.C.)

Effects of low-intensity GaAlAs laser radiation (λ=660 nm) on dentine-pulp interface after class I cavity preparation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Godoy, Bruno Miranda

2003-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of low-intensity irradiation with GaAlAs laser (red emission) on the ultrastructure of dentine-pulp interface after conventionally prepared class I cavity preparation. Two patients with 8 premolars for extraction indicated for orthodontic reasons. Class I cavities were prepared in these teeth that were then divided into two groups. The first group received a treatment with laser with continuous emission, λ=660 nm, with maximum power output of 30 mW. The dosimetry applied was of approximately 2J/cm 2 , directly and perpendicularly into the cavity in only one section. After the irradiation, the cavities were filled with composite resin. The second group received the same treatment, except by the laser therapy. Twenty-eight days after the preparation, the teeth were extracted and were processed for transmission electron microscopy analysis. Two sound teeth, without any preparation, were also studied. The irradiated group presented odontoblastic processes in higher contact with the extracellular matrix and the collagen fibers appeared more aggregated and organized than those of control group. These results were also observed in the healthy-teeth. Thus, we suggest that laser irradiation accelerates the recovery of the dental structures involved in the cavity preparation at the pre-dentine level. (author)

Real-time terahertz imaging through self-mixing in a quantum-cascade laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wienold, M., E-mail: martin.wienold@dlr.de; Rothbart, N.; Hübers, H.-W. [Institute of Optical Sensor Systems, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Rutherfordstr. 2, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Department of Physics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Newtonstr. 15, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Hagelschuer, T. [Institute of Optical Sensor Systems, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Rutherfordstr. 2, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Schrottke, L.; Biermann, K.; Grahn, H. T. [Paul-Drude-Institut für Festkörperelektronik, Leibniz-Institut im Forschungsverbund Berlin e. V., Hausvogteiplatz 5-7, 10117 Berlin (Germany)

2016-07-04

We report on a fast self-mixing approach for real-time, coherent terahertz imaging based on a quantum-cascade laser and a scanning mirror. Due to a fast deflection of the terahertz beam, images with frame rates up to several Hz are obtained, eventually limited by the mechanical inertia of the employed scanning mirror. A phase modulation technique allows for the separation of the amplitude and phase information without the necessity of parameter fitting routines. We further demonstrate the potential for transmission imaging.

Development of principles of two-cascaded laser speckle-microscopy with implication to high-precision express diagnostics of chlamydial infection

Science.gov (United States)

Ulianova, Onega; Moiseeva, Yulia; Filonova, Nadezhda; Subbotina, Irina; Zaitsev, Sergey; Saltykov, Yury; Polyanina, Tatiana; Lyapina, Anna; Ulyanov, Sergey; Larionova, Olga; Utz, Sergey; Feodorova, Valentina

2018-04-01

Principles of two-cascaded laser speckle-microscopy prospect for application to express diagnostics of chlamydial infection are developed. Prototype of two-cascaded speckle-microscope is designed and tested. Specific case of illumination of bacterial cells by dynamic speckles is considered. Express method of detection of epithelial cells, containing defects, which are caused by Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria, is suggested. Results of improved recognition of C. trachomatis bacteria are discussed.

Volume Bragg grating external cavities for the passive phase locking of high-brightness diode laser arrays: theoretical and experimental study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Paboeuf, David; Vijayakumar, Deepak; Jensen, Ole Bjarlin

2011-01-01

We describe the theoretical modeling of the external-cavity operation of a phase-locked array of diode lasers in two configurations, the self-imaging cavity based on the Talbot effect and the angular-filtering cavity. Complex filtering functions, such as the transmission or reflection of a volume...

Low temperature laser scanning microscopy of a superconducting radio-frequency cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Ciovati, G.; Anlage, Steven M.; Baldwin, C.; Cheng, G.; Flood, R.; Jordan, K.; Kneisel, P.; Morrone, M.; Nemes, G.; Turlington, L.; Wang, H.; Wilson, K.; Zhang, S.

2012-03-01

An apparatus was developed to obtain, for the first time, 2D maps of the surface resistance of the inner surface of an operating superconducting radio-frequency niobium cavity by a low-temperature laser scanning microscopy technique. This allows identifying non-uniformities of the surface resistance with a spatial resolution of about 2.4 mm and surface resistance resolution of ˜1 μΩ at 3.3 GHz. A signal-to-noise ratio of about 10 dB was obtained with 240 mW laser power and 1 Hz modulation frequency. The various components of the apparatus, the experimental procedure and results are discussed in detail in this contribution.

Low temperature laser scanning microscopy of a superconducting radio-frequency cavity.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciovati, G; Anlage, Steven M; Baldwin, C; Cheng, G; Flood, R; Jordan, K; Kneisel, P; Morrone, M; Nemes, G; Turlington, L; Wang, H; Wilson, K; Zhang, S

2012-03-01

An apparatus was developed to obtain, for the first time, 2D maps of the surface resistance of the inner surface of an operating superconducting radio-frequency niobium cavity by a low-temperature laser scanning microscopy technique. This allows identifying non-uniformities of the surface resistance with a spatial resolution of about 2.4 mm and surface resistance resolution of ~1 μΩ at 3.3 GHz. A signal-to-noise ratio of about 10 dB was obtained with 240 mW laser power and 1 Hz modulation frequency. The various components of the apparatus, the experimental procedure and results are discussed in detail in this contribution.

A Digital Phase Lock Loop for an External Cavity Diode Laser

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiao-Long; Tao, Tian-Jiong; Cheng, Bing; Wu, Bin; Xu, Yun-Fei; Wang, Zhao-Ying; Lin, Qiang

2011-08-01

A digital optical phase lock loop (OPLL) is implemented to synchronize the frequency and phase between two external cavity diode lasers (ECDL), generating Raman pulses for atom interferometry. The setup involves all-digital phase detection and a programmable digital proportional-integral-derivative (PID) loop in locking. The lock generates a narrow beat-note linewidth below 1 Hz and low phase-noise of 0.03rad2 between the master and slave ECDLs. The lock proves to be stable and robust, and all the locking parameters can be set and optimized on a computer interface with convenience, making the lock adaptable to various setups of laser systems.

Modeling multipulsing transition in ring cavity lasers with proper orthogonal decomposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding, Edwin; Shlizerman, Eli; Kutz, J. Nathan

2010-01-01

A low-dimensional model is constructed via the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) to characterize the multipulsing phenomenon in a ring cavity laser mode locked by a saturable absorber. The onset of the multipulsing transition is characterized by an oscillatory state (created by a Hopf bifurcation) that is then itself destabilized to a double-pulse configuration (by a fold bifurcation). A four-mode POD analysis, which uses the principal components, or singular value decomposition modes, of the mode-locked laser, provides a simple analytic framework for a complete characterization of the entire transition process and its associated bifurcations. These findings are in good agreement with the full governing equation.

Optimizing optical nonlinearities in GaInAs/AlInAs quantum cascade lasers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gajić Aleksandra D.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Regardless of the huge advances made in the design and fabrication of mid-infrared and terahertz quantum cascade lasers, success in accessing the ~3-4 mm region of the electromagnetic spectrum has remained limited. This fact has brought about the need to exploit resonant intersubband transitions as powerful nonlinear oscillators, consequently enabling the occurrence of large nonlinear optical susceptibilities as a means of reaching desired wavelengths. In this work, we present a computational model developed for the optimization of second-order optical nonlinearities in In0.53Ga0.47As/Al0.48In0.52As quantum cascade laser structures based on the implementation of the Genetic algorithm. The carrier transport and the power output of the structure were calculated by self-consistent solutions to the system of rate equations for carriers and photons. Both stimulated and simultaneous double-photon absorption processes occurring between the second harmonic generation-relevant levels are incorporated into rate equations and the material-dependent effective mass and band non-parabolicity are taken into account, as well. The developed method is quite general and can be applied to any higher order effect which requires the inclusion of the photon density equation. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III 45010

Quantum Cascade Laser-Based Infrared Microscopy for Label-Free and Automated Cancer Classification in Tissue Sections.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuepper, Claus; Kallenbach-Thieltges, Angela; Juette, Hendrik; Tannapfel, Andrea; Großerueschkamp, Frederik; Gerwert, Klaus

2018-05-16

A feasibility study using a quantum cascade laser-based infrared microscope for the rapid and label-free classification of colorectal cancer tissues is presented. Infrared imaging is a reliable, robust, automated, and operator-independent tissue classification method that has been used for differential classification of tissue thin sections identifying tumorous regions. However, long acquisition time by the so far used FT-IR-based microscopes hampered the clinical translation of this technique. Here, the used quantum cascade laser-based microscope provides now infrared images for precise tissue classification within few minutes. We analyzed 110 patients with UICC-Stage II and III colorectal cancer, showing 96% sensitivity and 100% specificity of this label-free method as compared to histopathology, the gold standard in routine clinical diagnostics. The main hurdle for the clinical translation of IR-Imaging is overcome now by the short acquisition time for high quality diagnostic images, which is in the same time range as frozen sections by pathologists.

Energy spectrum and thermal properties of a terahertz quantum-cascade laser based on the resonant-phonon depopulation scheme

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khabibullin, R. A., E-mail: khabibullin@isvch.ru; Shchavruk, N. V.; Klochkov, A. N.; Glinskiy, I. A.; Zenchenko, N. V.; Ponomarev, D. S.; Maltsev, P. P. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Ultrahigh Frequency Semiconductor Electronics (Russian Federation); Zaycev, A. A. [National Research University of Electronic Technology (MIET) (Russian Federation); Zubov, F. I.; Zhukov, A. E.; Cirlin, G. E.; Alferov, Zh. I. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg Academic University—Nanotechnology Research and Education Center (Russian Federation)

2017-04-15

The dependences of the electronic-level positions and transition oscillator strengths on an applied electric field are studied for a terahertz quantum-cascade laser (THz QCL) with the resonant-phonon depopulation scheme, based on a cascade consisting of three quantum wells. The electric-field strengths for two characteristic states of the THz QCL under study are calculated: (i) “parasitic” current flow in the structure when the lasing threshold has not yet been reached; (ii) the lasing threshold is reached. Heat-transfer processes in the THz QCL under study are simulated to determine the optimum supply and cooling conditions. The conditions of thermocompression bonding of the laser ridge stripe with an n{sup +}-GaAs conductive substrate based on Au–Au are selected to produce a mechanically stronger contact with a higher thermal conductivity.

Cascaded Photoenhancement: Implications for Photonic Chemical and Biological Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Fuller, Kirk A.; Smith, David D.

2006-01-01

Our analysis shows that coupling of gold nanoparticles to microspheres will evoke a cascading effect from the respective photoenhancement mechanisms. We refer to this amplification process as cascaded photoenhancement, and the resulting cavity amplification of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and fluorescence as CASERS and CAF, respectively. Calculations, based on modal analysis of scattering and absorption by compound spheres, presented herein indicate that the absorption cross sections of metal nanoparticles immobilized onto dielectric microspheres can be greatly enhanced by cavity resonances in the microspheres without significant degradation of the resonators. Gain factors associated with CSP of 10(exp 3) - 10(exp 4) are predicted for realistic experimental conditions using homogenous microspheres. Cascaded surface photoenhancement thus has the potential of dramatically increasing the sensitivities of fluorescence and vibrational spectroscopies.

Optimizing the active region of interband cascade lasers for passive mode-locking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Ryczko

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The work proposes possible designs of active regions for a mode-locked interband cascade laser emitting in the mid infrared. For that purpose we investigated the electronic structure properties of respectively modified GaSb-based type II W-shaped quantum wells, including the effect of external bias in order to simultaneously fulfil the requirements for both the absorber as well as the gain sections of a device. The results show that introducing multiple InAs layers in type II InAs/GaInSb quantum wells or introducing a tensely-strained GaAsSb layer into “W-shaped” type II QWs offers significant difference in optical transitions’ oscillator strengths (characteristic lifetimes of the two oppositely polarized parts of such a laser, being promising for utilization in mode-locked devices.

Flight-Like Optical Reference Cavity for GRACE Follow-On Laser Frequency Stabilization

Science.gov (United States)

Folkner, W. M.; deVine, G.; Klipstein, W. M.; McKenzie, K.; Spero, R.; Thompson, R.; Yu, N.; Stephens, M.; Leitch, J.; Pierce, R.;

Ultrafast directional beam switching in coupled vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ning, C. Z.; Goorjian, P.

2001-01-01

We propose a strategy to performing ultrafast directional beam switching using two coupled vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). The proposed strategy is demonstrated for two VCSELs of 5.6 μm in diameter placed about 1 μm apart from the edges, showing a switching speed of 42 GHz with a maximum far-field angle span of about 10 degree. [copyright] 2001 American Institute of Physics

Enhanced direct-modulated bandwidth of 37 GHz by a multi-section laser with a coupled-cavity-injection-grating design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bach, L.; Kaiser, W.; Reithmaier, J.P.

2003-01-01

Using a new multi-section laser concept based on a coupled-cavity-injection-grating design, the material related intrinsic 3 dB modulation bandwidth can be enhanced up to 37 GHz for a 1.5 mm long device.......Using a new multi-section laser concept based on a coupled-cavity-injection-grating design, the material related intrinsic 3 dB modulation bandwidth can be enhanced up to 37 GHz for a 1.5 mm long device....

Emerging applications for vertical cavity surface emitting lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, J S; O'sullivan, T; Sarmiento, T; Lee, M M; Vo, S

2011-01-01

Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) emitting at 850 nm have experienced explosive growth in the past decade because of their many attractive optical features and incredibly low-cost manufacturability. This review reviews the foundations for GaAs-based VCSEL technology as well as the materials and device challenges to extend the operating wavelength to both shorter and longer wavelengths. We discuss some of the applications that are enabled by the integration of VCSELs with both active and passive semiconductor elements for telecommunications, both in vivo and in vitro biosensing, high-density optical storage and imaging at wavelengths much less than the diffraction limit of light

Reversible switching of quantum cascade laser-modes using a pH-responsive polymeric cladding as transducer.

Science.gov (United States)

Basnar, Bernhard; Schartner, Stephan; Austerer, Maximilian; Andrews, Aaron Maxwell; Roch, Tomas; Schrenk, Werner; Strasser, Gottfried

2008-06-09

We present a novel approach for the reversible switching of the emission wavelength of a quantum cascade laser (QCL) using a halochromic cladding. An air-waveguide laser ridge is coated with a thin layer of polyacrylic acid. This cladding introduces losses corresponding to the absorption spectrum of the polymer. By changing the state of the polymer, the absorption spectrum and losses change, inducing a shift of 7 cm(-1) in the emission wavelength. This change is induced by exposure to acidic or alkaline vapors under ambient conditions and is fully reversible. Such lasers can be used as multi-color light source and as sensor for atmospheric pH.

A calibration-free ammonia breath sensor using a quantum cascade laser with WMS 2f/1f

KAUST Repository

Owen, Kyle; Farooq, Aamir

2013-01-01

modulation spectroscopy with second harmonic normalized by the first harmonic (WMS 2f/1f) is a sensitive technique used in the development of calibration-free sensors. An ammonia gas sensor is designed and developed that uses a quantum cascade laser operating

Chaos-based communications using semiconductor lasers subject to feedback from an integrated double cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tronciu, V Z; Mirasso, Claudio R; Colet, Pere

2008-01-01

We report the results of numerical investigations of the dynamical behaviour of an integrated device composed of a semiconductor laser and a double cavity that provides optical feedback. Due to the influence of the feedback, under the appropriate conditions, the system displays chaotic behaviour appropriate for chaos-based communications. The optimal conditions for chaos generation are identified. It is found that the double cavity feedback requires lower feedback strengths for developing high complexity chaos when compared with a single cavity. The synchronization of two unidirectional coupled (master-slave) systems and the influence of parameters mismatch on the synchronization quality are also studied. Finally, examples of message encoding and decoding are presented and discussed

Beam collimation and energy spectrum compression of laser-accelerated proton beams using solenoid field and RF cavity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teng, J.; Gu, Y.Q., E-mail: tengjian@mail.ustc.edu.cn; Zhu, B.; Hong, W.; Zhao, Z.Q.; Zhou, W.M.; Cao, L.F.

2013-11-21

This paper presents a new method of laser produced proton beam collimation and spectrum compression using a combination of a solenoid field and a RF cavity. The solenoid collects laser-driven protons efficiently within an angle that is smaller than 12 degrees because it is mounted few millimeters from the target, and collimates protons with energies around 2.3 MeV. The collimated proton beam then passes through a RF cavity to allow compression of the spectrum. Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations demonstrate the proton beam transport in the solenoid and RF electric fields. Excellent energy compression and collection efficiency of protons are presented. This method for proton beam optimization is suitable for high repetition-rate laser acceleration proton beams, which could be used as an injector for a conventional proton accelerator.

Beam collimation and energy spectrum compression of laser-accelerated proton beams using solenoid field and RF cavity

Science.gov (United States)

Teng, J.; Gu, Y. Q.; Zhu, B.; Hong, W.; Zhao, Z. Q.; Zhou, W. M.; Cao, L. F.

2013-11-01

This paper presents a new method of laser produced proton beam collimation and spectrum compression using a combination of a solenoid field and a RF cavity. The solenoid collects laser-driven protons efficiently within an angle that is smaller than 12 degrees because it is mounted few millimeters from the target, and collimates protons with energies around 2.3 MeV. The collimated proton beam then passes through a RF cavity to allow compression of the spectrum. Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations demonstrate the proton beam transport in the solenoid and RF electric fields. Excellent energy compression and collection efficiency of protons are presented. This method for proton beam optimization is suitable for high repetition-rate laser acceleration proton beams, which could be used as an injector for a conventional proton accelerator.

Beam collimation and energy spectrum compression of laser-accelerated proton beams using solenoid field and RF cavity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teng, J.; Gu, Y.Q.; Zhu, B.; Hong, W.; Zhao, Z.Q.; Zhou, W.M.; Cao, L.F.

2013-01-01

This paper presents a new method of laser produced proton beam collimation and spectrum compression using a combination of a solenoid field and a RF cavity. The solenoid collects laser-driven protons efficiently within an angle that is smaller than 12 degrees because it is mounted few millimeters from the target, and collimates protons with energies around 2.3 MeV. The collimated proton beam then passes through a RF cavity to allow compression of the spectrum. Particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations demonstrate the proton beam transport in the solenoid and RF electric fields. Excellent energy compression and collection efficiency of protons are presented. This method for proton beam optimization is suitable for high repetition-rate laser acceleration proton beams, which could be used as an injector for a conventional proton accelerator

Tunable high-power narrow-spectrum external-cavity diode laser based on tapered amplifier at 668 nm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chi, Mingjun; Erbert, G.; Sumpf, B.

2010-01-01

A 668 nm tunable high-power narrow-spectrum diode laser system based on a tapered semiconductor optical amplifier in external cavity is demonstrated. The laser system is tunable from 659 to 675 nm. As high as 1.38 W output power is obtained at 668.35 nm. The emission spectral bandwidth is less than...

Cavity-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with optical feedback cw diode lasers for gas phase analysis and spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Salter, Robert; Chu, Johnny; Hippler, Michael

2012-10-21

A variant of cavity-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (CERS) is introduced, in which diode laser radiation at 635 nm is coupled into an external linear optical cavity composed of two highly reflective mirrors. Using optical feedback stabilisation, build-up of circulating laser power by 3 orders of magnitude occurs. Strong Raman signals are collected in forward scattering geometry. Gas phase CERS spectra of H(2), air, CH(4) and benzene are recorded to demonstrate the potential for analytical applications and fundamental molecular studies. Noise equivalent limits of detection in the ppm by volume range (1 bar sample) can be achieved with excellent linearity with a 10 mW excitation laser, with sensitivity increasing with laser power and integration time. The apparatus can be operated with battery powered components and can thus be very compact and portable. Possible applications include safety monitoring of hydrogen gas levels, isotope tracer studies (e.g., (14)N/(15)N ratios), observing isotopomers of hydrogen (e.g., radioactive tritium), and simultaneous multi-component gas analysis. CERS has the potential to become a standard method for sensitive gas phase Raman spectroscopy.

Theoretical investigation of injection-locked high modulation bandwidth quantum cascade lasers.

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Bo; Wang, Qi Jie

2012-01-16

In this study, we report for the first time to our knowledge theoretical investigation of modulation responses of injection-locked mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) at wavelengths of 4.6 μm and 9 μm, respectively. It is shown through a three-level rate equations model that the direct intensity modulation of QCLs gives the maximum modulation bandwidths of ~7 GHz at 4.6 μm and ~20 GHz at 9 μm. By applying the injection locking scheme, we find that the modulation bandwidths of up to ~30 GHz and ~70 GHz can be achieved for QCLs at 4.6 μm and 9 μm, respectively, with an injection ratio of 5 dB. The result also shows that an ultrawide modulation bandwidth of more than 200 GHz is possible with a 10 dB injection ratio for QCLs at 9 μm. An important characteristic of injection-locked QCLs is the nonexistence of unstable locking region in the locking map, in contrast to their diode laser counterparts. We attribute this to the ultra-short upper laser state lifetimes of QCLs.

Compact intra-cavity pumped low-threshold passively Q-switched Ho:Sc2SiO5 laser by a LD-pumped Tm:YAP laser at room temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiao-tao; Xie, Wen-qiang; Liu, Long; Li, Lin-jun

2017-08-01

A compact intra-cavity pumped low-threshold passively Q-switched (PQS) Ho:Sc2SiO5 (Ho:SSO) laser is reported for the first time. The Tm:YAlO3 (Tm:YAP) crystal and the Ho:SSO crystal are placed in the same laser cavity. A laser diode with a central wavelength of 793 nm is used to realize the output of the Ho:SSO laser. Both the continuous wave (CW) and PQS operation are investigated. A Cr2+:ZnSe is used as the saturable absorber in the PQS Ho:SSO laser. For the CW mode, the laser threshold is only 750 mW, which is 980 mW in the PQS mode. A maximum pulse energy of 699 µJ is primarily obtained, corresponding to the pulse width of 96 ns. The maximum repetition frequency is 1.46 kHz. The maximum pulse peak power can be calculated to be 7.28 kW. The beam quality factor M 2 is calculated to be 1.4 with the maximum output power.

Detailed Balance Limit of Efficiency of Broadband-Pumped Lasers.

Science.gov (United States)

Nechayev, Sergey; Rotschild, Carmel

2017-09-13

Broadband light sources are a wide class of pumping schemes for lasers including LEDs, sunlight and flash lamps. Recently, efficient coupling of broadband light to high-quality micro-cavities has been demonstrated for on-chip applications and low-threshold solar-pumped lasers via cascade energy transfer. However, the conversion of incoherent to coherent light comes with an inherent price of reduced efficiency, which has yet to be assessed. In this paper, we derive the detailed balance limit of efficiency of broadband-pumped lasers and discuss how it is affected by the need to maintain a threshold population inversion and thermodynamically dictated minimal Stokes' shift. We show that lasers' slope efficiency is analogous to the nominal efficiency of solar cells, limited by thermalisation losses and additional unavoidable Stokes' shift. The lasers' power efficiency is analogous to the detailed balance limit of efficiency of solar cells, affected by the cavity mirrors and impedance matching factor, respectively. As an example we analyze the specific case of solar-pumped sensitized Nd 3+ :YAG-like lasers and define the conditions to reach their thermodynamic limit of efficiency. Our work establishes an upper theoretical limit for the efficiency of broadband-pumped lasers. Our general, yet flexible model also provides a way to incorporate other optical and thermodynamic losses and, hence, to estimate the efficiency of non-ideal broadband-pumped lasers.

A Digital Phase Lock Loop for an External Cavity Diode Laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xiao-Long; Tao Tian-Jiong; Cheng Bing; Wu Bin; Xu Yun-Fei; Wang Zhao-Ying; Lin Qiang

2011-01-01

A digital optical phase lock loop (OPLL) is implemented to synchronize the frequency and phase between two external cavity diode lasers (ECDL), generating Raman pulses for atom interferometry. The setup involves all-digital phase detection and a programmable digital proportional-integral-derivative (PID) loop in locking. The lock generates a narrow beat-note linewidth below 1 Hz and low phase-noise of 0.03rad 2 between the master and slave ECDLs. The lock proves to be stable and robust, and all the locking parameters can be set and optimized on a computer interface with convenience, making the lock adaptable to various setups of laser systems. (fundamental areas of phenomenology(including applications))

Laser Oscillator Incorporating a Wedged Polarization Rotator and a Porro Prism as Cavity Mirror

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Steven

2011-01-01

A laser cavity was designed and implemented by using a wedged polarization rotator and a Porro prism in order to reduce the parts count, and to improve the laser reliability. In this invention, a z-cut quartz polarization rotator is used to compensate the wavelength retardance introduced by the Porro prism. The polarization rotator rotates the polarization of the linear polarized beam with a designed angle that is independent of the orientation of the rotator. This unique property was used to combine the retardance compensation and a Risley prism to a single optical component: a wedged polarization rotator. This greatly simplifies the laser alignment procedure and reduces the number of the laser optical components.

Slowdown of group velocity of light in dual-frequency laser-pumped cascade structure of Er3+-doped optical fiber at room temperature

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Wei; Yang, Yujing; Gao, Yuan; Liu, Jianjun; Lv, Pin; Jiang, Qiuli

2018-04-01

Slow light is demonstrated in the cascade structure of an erbium-doped fiber with two forward propagation pumps. The results of the numerical simulation of the time delay and the optimum modulation frequency complement each other. The time delay and the optimum modulation frequency depend on the pump ratio G (G  =  {{P}1480}:{{P}980} ). The discussion results of this paper show that a larger time delay of slow light propagation can be obtained in the cascade structure of Er3+-doped optical fibers with dual-frequency laser pumping. Compared to previous research methods, the dual-frequency laser-pumped cascade structure of an Er3+-doped optical fiber is more controllable. Based on our discussion the pump ratio G should be selected in order to obtain a more appropriate time delay and the slowdown of group velocity.

Ultrasensitive, real-time trace gas detection using a high-power, multimode diode laser and cavity ringdown spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Karpf, Andreas; Qiao, Yuhao; Rao, Gottipaty N

2016-06-01

We present a simplified cavity ringdown (CRD) trace gas detection technique that is insensitive to vibration, and capable of extremely sensitive, real-time absorption measurements. A high-power, multimode Fabry-Perot (FP) diode laser with a broad wavelength range (Δλlaser∼0.6  nm) is used to excite a large number of cavity modes, thereby reducing the detector's susceptibility to vibration and making it well suited for field deployment. When detecting molecular species with broad absorption features (Δλabsorption≫Δλlaser), the laser's broad linewidth removes the need for precision wavelength stabilization. The laser's power and broad linewidth allow the use of on-axis cavity alignment, improving the signal-to-noise ratio while maintaining its vibration insensitivity. The use of an FP diode laser has the added advantages of being inexpensive, compact, and insensitive to vibration. The technique was demonstrated using a 1.1 W (λ=400  nm) diode laser to measure low concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in zero air. A sensitivity of 38 parts in 1012 (ppt) was achieved using an integration time of 128 ms; for single-shot detection, 530 ppt sensitivity was demonstrated with a measurement time of 60 μs, which opens the door to sensitive measurements with extremely high temporal resolution; to the best of our knowledge, these are the highest speed measurements of NO2 concentration using CRD spectroscopy. The reduced susceptibility to vibration was demonstrated by introducing small vibrations into the apparatus and observing that there was no measurable effect on the sensitivity of detection.

Distributed feedback interband cascade lasers with top grating and corrugated sidewalls

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xie, Feng [Thorlabs Quantum Electronics, 10335 Guilford Rd, Jessup, Maryland 20794, USA; Stocker, Michael [Thorlabs Quantum Electronics, 10335 Guilford Rd, Jessup, Maryland 20794, USA; Pham, John [Thorlabs Quantum Electronics, 10335 Guilford Rd, Jessup, Maryland 20794, USA; Towner, Frederick [Thorlabs Quantum Electronics, 10335 Guilford Rd, Jessup, Maryland 20794, USA; Shen, Kun [Thorlabs Quantum Electronics, 10335 Guilford Rd, Jessup, Maryland 20794, USA; Wang, Jie [Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Avenue, Lemont, Illinois 60439, USA; Lascola, Kevin [Thorlabs Quantum Electronics, 10335 Guilford Rd, Jessup, Maryland 20794, USA

2018-03-26

Distributed feedback (DFB) interband cascade lasers (ICLs) with a 1st order top surface grating were designed and fabricated. Partially corrugated sidewalls were implemented to suppress high order lateral modes. The DFB ICLs have 4 mm long and 4.5 mu m wide ridge waveguides and are mounted epi-up on AlN submounts. We demonstrated a continuous-wave (CW) DFB ICL, from a first wafer which has a large detuning of the gain peak from the DFB wavelength, with a side mode suppression ratio of 30 dB. With proper matching of grating feedback and the gain peak wavelength for the second wafer, a DFB ICL was demonstrated with a maximum CW output power and a maximum wall plug efficiency reaching 42 mW and 2%, respectively, at 25 degrees C. The lasing wavelengths of both lasers are around 3.3 mu m at 25 degrees C. Published by AIP Publishing.

Laterally coupled distributed feedback type-I quantum well cascade diode lasers emitting near 3.22  μm.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Tao; Hosoda, Takashi; Shterengas, Leon; Kipshidze, Gela; Stein, Aaron; Lu, Ming; Belenky, Gregory

2017-11-01

The laterally coupled distributed feedback (LC-DFB) GaSb-based type-I quantum well cascade diode lasers using the second- and the sixth-order gratings to stabilize the output spectrum near 3.22 μm were designed and fabricated. The laser heterostructure contained three cascades. The devices were manufactured using a single dry etching step defining the ∼5-μm-wide ridge with ∼5-μm-wide gratings sections adjacent to the ridge sides. The grating coupling coefficients were estimated to be about 1  cm -1 . The stability of the single-frequency operation was ensured by alignment of the DFB mode to the relatively wide gain peak. The 2-mm-long second-order LC-DFB lasers generated above 10 mW of continuous-wave (CW) output power at 20°C in epi-side-up configuration and demonstrated power conversion efficiency above 2%. The sixth-order LC-DFB lasers showed lower efficiency but still generated several milliwatts of CW output power. The devices demonstrated a CW current tuning range of about 3.5 nm at the temperature of 20°C.

Laser frequency stabilization and control of optical cavities with suspended mirrors for the VIRGO interferometric detector of gravitational waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barsuglia, Matteo

1999-01-01

The VIRGO detector is an interferometer with 3 km Fabry-Perot cavities in the arms. It is aimed at the detection of gravitational radiation emitted by astrophysical sources. This thesis comprises two independent parts. The first part is devoted to the laser frequency stabilization. In the second one we present a study of a suspended cavity. We determine the impact of laser frequency fluctuations on the overall VIRGO sensitivity. We study the frequency stabilization of the interferometer considered as an ultra-stable standard and we evaluate the noise pertaining to different signals taken into consideration. A strategy of control is discussed. We then study the VIRGO mode-cleaner prototype, a 30 m suspended triangular cavity, for which we have developed a control in order to keep it locked. Finally, we characterize this cavity in terms of mode spectra, finesse and mechanical transfer functions. (author)

Influence of screening on longitudinal-optical phonon scattering in quantum cascade lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ezhov, Ivan; Jirauschek, Christian

2016-01-01

We theoretically investigate the influence of screening on electron-longitudinal optical phonon scattering in quantum cascade lasers. By employing ensemble Monte Carlo simulations, an advanced screening model based on the random-phase approximation is compared to the more elementary Thomas-Fermi and Debye models. For mid-infrared structures, and to a lesser extent also for terahertz designs, the inclusion of screening is shown to affect the simulated current and optical output power. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that by using the electron temperature rather than the lattice temperature, the Debye model can be significantly improved

Analytical Structuring of Periodic and Regular Cascading Solutions in Self-Pulsing Lasers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Belkacem Meziane

2008-01-01

Full Text Available A newly proposed strong harmonic-expansion method is applied to the laser-Lorenz equations to analytically construct a few typical solutions, including the first few expansions of the well-known period-doubling cascade that characterizes the system in its self-pulsing regime of operation. These solutions are shown to evolve in accordance with the driving frequency of the permanent solution that we recently reported to illustrate the system. The procedure amounts to analytically construct the signal Fourier transform by applying an iterative algorithm that reconstitutes the first few terms of its development.

Detection of acrolein and acrylonitrile with a pulsed room temperature quantum cascade laser

Science.gov (United States)

Manne, J.; Jäger, W.; Tulip, J.

2010-06-01

We investigated the use of a pulsed, distributed feedback quantum cascade laser centered at 957 cm-1 in combination with an astigmatic Herriot cell with 250 m path length for the detection of acrolein and acrylonitrile. These molecules have been identified as hazardous air-pollutants because of their adverse health effects. The spectrometer utilizes the intra-pulse method, where a linear frequency down-chirp, that is induced when a top-hat current pulse is applied to the laser, is used for sweeping across the absorption line. Up to 450 ns long pulses were used for these measurements which resulted in a spectral window of ~2.2 cm-1. A room temperature mercury-cadmium-telluride detector was used, resulting in a completely cryogen free spectrometer. We demonstrated detection limits of ~3 ppb for acrylonitrile and ~6 ppb for acrolein with ~10 s averaging time. Laser characterization and optimization of the operational parameters for sensitivity improvement are discussed.

Self-mixing interferometry in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers for nanomechanical cantilever sensing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsson, David; Greve, Anders; Hvam, Jørn Märcher

2009-01-01

We have experimentally investigated self-mixing interference produced by the feedback of light from a polymer micrometer-sized cantilever into a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser for sensing applications. In particular we have investigated how the visibility of the optical output power...... and the junction voltage depends on the laser injection current and the distance to the cantilever. The highest power visibility obtained from cantilevers without reflective coatings was 60%, resulting in a very high sensitivity of 45 mV/nm with a noise floor below 1.2 mV. Different detection schemes are discussed....

Experimental investigation of cavity flows

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loeland, Tore

1998-12-31

This thesis uses LDV (Laser Doppler Velocimetry), PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) and Laser Sheet flow Visualisation to study flow inside three different cavity configurations. For sloping cavities, the vortex structure inside the cavities is found to depend upon the flow direction past the cavity. The shape of the downstream corner is a key factor in destroying the boundary layer flow entering the cavity. The experimental results agree well with numerical simulations of the same geometrical configurations. The results of the investigations are used to find the influence of the cavity flow on the accuracy of the ultrasonic flowmeter. A method to compensate for the cavity velocities is suggested. It is found that the relative deviation caused by the cavity velocities depend linearly on the pipe flow. It appears that the flow inside the cavities should not be neglected as done in the draft for the ISO technical report on ultrasonic flowmeters. 58 refs., 147 figs., 2 tabs.

Experimental investigation of cavity flows

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loeland, Tore

1999-12-31

This thesis uses LDV (Laser Doppler Velocimetry), PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) and Laser Sheet flow Visualisation to study flow inside three different cavity configurations. For sloping cavities, the vortex structure inside the cavities is found to depend upon the flow direction past the cavity. The shape of the downstream corner is a key factor in destroying the boundary layer flow entering the cavity. The experimental results agree well with numerical simulations of the same geometrical configurations. The results of the investigations are used to find the influence of the cavity flow on the accuracy of the ultrasonic flowmeter. A method to compensate for the cavity velocities is suggested. It is found that the relative deviation caused by the cavity velocities depend linearly on the pipe flow. It appears that the flow inside the cavities should not be neglected as done in the draft for the ISO technical report on ultrasonic flowmeters. 58 refs., 147 figs., 2 tabs.

Breath analysis using external cavity diode lasers: a review

Science.gov (United States)

Bayrakli, Ismail

2017-04-01

Most techniques that are used for diagnosis and therapy of diseases are invasive. Reliable noninvasive methods are always needed for the comfort of patients. Owing to its noninvasiveness, ease of use, and easy repeatability, exhaled breath analysis is a very good candidate for this purpose. Breath analysis can be performed using different techniques, such as gas chromatography mass spectrometry (MS), proton transfer reaction-MS, and selected ion flow tube-MS. However, these devices are bulky and require complicated procedures for sample collection and preconcentration. Therefore, these are not practical for routine applications in hospitals. Laser-based techniques with small size, robustness, low cost, low response time, accuracy, precision, high sensitivity, selectivity, low detection limit, real-time, and point-of-care detection have a great potential for routine use in hospitals. In this review paper, the recent advances in the fields of external cavity lasers and breath analysis for detection of diseases are presented.

Phase Locking of a 2.7 THz Quantum Cascade Laser to a Microwave Reference

Science.gov (United States)

Khosropanah, P.; Baryshev, A.; Zhang, W.; Jellema, W.; Hovenier, J. N.; Gao, J. R.; Klapwijk, T. M.; Paveliev, D. G.; Williams, B. S.; Hu, Q.;

Wavelength beam combining of a 980-nm tapered diode laser bar in an external cavity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vijayakumar, Deepak; Jensen, Ole Bjarlin; Thestrup Nielsen, Birgitte

2010-01-01

solution for preserving the beam quality of the bar in the range of that of a single emitter and at the same time, enabling the power scaling. We report spectral beam combining applied to a 12 emitter tapered laser bar at 980 nm. The external cavity has been designed for a wavelength separation of 4.0 nm......High power diode lasers are used in a large number of applications. A limiting factor for more widespread use of broad area lasers is the poor beam quality. Gain guided tapered diode lasers are ideal candidates for industrial applications that demands watt level output power with good beam quality...

Laser-Machined Microcavities for Simultaneous Measurement of High-Temperature and High-Pressure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zengling Ran

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Laser-machined microcavities for simultaneous measurement of high-temperature and high-pressure are demonstrated. These two cascaded microcavities are an air cavity and a composite cavity including a section of fiber and an air cavity. They are both placed into a pressure chamber inside a furnace to perform simultaneous pressure and high-temperature tests. The thermal and pressure coefficients of the short air cavity are ~0.0779 nm/°C and ~1.14 nm/MPa, respectively. The thermal and pressure coefficients of the composite cavity are ~32.3 nm/°C and ~24.4 nm/MPa, respectively. The sensor could be used to separate temperature and pressure due to their different thermal and pressure coefficients. The excellent feature of such a sensor head is that it can withstand high temperatures of up to 400 °C and achieve precise measurement of high-pressure under high temperature conditions.

Laser-machined microcavities for simultaneous measurement of high-temperature and high-pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Ran, Zengling; Liu, Shan; Liu, Qin; Huang, Ya; Bao, Haihong; Wang, Yanjun; Luo, Shucheng; Yang, Huiqin; Rao, Yunjiang

2014-08-07

Laser-machined microcavities for simultaneous measurement of high-temperature and high-pressure are demonstrated. These two cascaded microcavities are an air cavity and a composite cavity including a section of fiber and an air cavity. They are both placed into a pressure chamber inside a furnace to perform simultaneous pressure and high-temperature tests. The thermal and pressure coefficients of the short air cavity are ~0.0779 nm/°C and ~1.14 nm/MPa, respectively. The thermal and pressure coefficients of the composite cavity are ~32.3 nm/°C and ~24.4 nm/MPa, respectively. The sensor could be used to separate temperature and pressure due to their different thermal and pressure coefficients. The excellent feature of such a sensor head is that it can withstand high temperatures of up to 400 °C and achieve precise measurement of high-pressure under high temperature conditions.

Carrier transport in THz quantum cascade lasers: Are Green's functions necessary?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matyas, A; Jirauschek, C [Emmy Noether Research Group ' Modeling of Quantum Cascade Devices' , TU Muenchen, D-80333 Muenchen (Germany); Kubis, T [Walter Schottky Institute, TU Muenchen, D-85748 Garching (Germany); Lugli, P, E-mail: alparmat@mytum.d [Institute of Nanoelectronics, TU Muenchen, D-80333 Muenchen (Germany)

2009-11-15

We have applied two different simulation models for the stationary carrier transport and optical gain analysis in resonant phonon depopulation THz Quantum Cascade Lasers (QCLs), based on the semiclassical ensemble Monte Carlo (EMC) and fully quantum mechanical non-equilibrium Green's functions (NEGF) method, respectively. We find in the incoherent regime near and above the threshold current a qualitative and quantitative agreement of both methods. Therefore, we show that THz-QCLs can be successfully optimized utilizing the numerically efficient EMC method.

Calibrated high-precision 17O-excess measurements using cavity ring-down spectroscopy with laser-current-tuned cavity resonance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. J. Steig

2014-08-01

Full Text Available High-precision analysis of the 17O / 16O isotope ratio in water and water vapor is of interest in hydrological, paleoclimate, and atmospheric science applications. Of specific interest is the parameter 17O excess (Δ17O, a measure of the deviation from a~linear relationship between 17O / 16O and 18O / 16O ratios. Conventional analyses of Δ17O of water are obtained by fluorination of H2O to O2 that is analyzed by dual-inlet isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS. We describe a new laser spectroscopy instrument for high-precision Δ17O measurements. The new instrument uses cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS with laser-current-tuned cavity resonance to achieve reduced measurement drift compared with previous-generation instruments. Liquid water and water-vapor samples can be analyzed with a better than 8 per meg precision for Δ17O using integration times of less than 30 min. Calibration with respect to accepted water standards demonstrates that both the precision and the accuracy of Δ17O are competitive with conventional IRMS methods. The new instrument also achieves simultaneous analysis of δ18O, Δ17O and δD with precision of < 0.03‰, < 0.02 and < 0.2‰, respectively, based on repeated calibrated measurements.

Hot electron bolometer heterodyne receiver with a 4.7-THz quantum cascade laser as a local oscillator

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kloosterman, J.L.; Hayton, D.J.; Ren, Y.; Kao, T.Y.; Hovenier, J.N.; Gao, J.R.; Klapwijk, T.M.; Hu, Q.; Walker, C.K.; Reno, J.L.

2013-01-01

We report on a heterodyne receiver designed to observe the astrophysically important neutral atomic oxygen [OI] line at 4.7448?THz. The local oscillator is a third-order distributed feedback quantum cascade laser operating in continuous wave mode at 4.741?THz. A quasi-optical, superconducting NbN

Diagnosis and indications for low-intensity laser therapy of the pathology of the oral cavity mucosa of patients with hematologic and gastroenteric diseases

Science.gov (United States)

Kunin, Anatoly A.; Minakov, E. V.; Sutscenko, A. V.; Vornovsky, V. A.; Dunaeva, S. V.; Stepanov, Nicolay N.; Shumilovitch, Bogdan R.

1996-11-01

In the recent years low intensity laser irradiation is made use of in stomatology with the view of treating numerous diseases of the oral cavity mucosa and parodontium. The oral cavity mucosa lesions caused by the internal organs diseases, especially those of blood and the gastroenteric tract, constitute a particular group. Such diseases are usually manifested by an inflammation, erosions, ulcers, hemorrhages. An abundant microflora of the oral cavity and diminished immunity of the patients contribute to the possibility of septicaemia development. Laser therapy of the oral cavity mucosa lesions according to strictly defined indications promotes rapid healing of ulcers, arresting the oral cavity mucosa inflammation, providing a reduction in bleeding and presents a safe prophylactic means of stomatogenic sepsis.

Time-resolved temperature measurements in a rapid compression machine using quantum cascade laser absorption in the intrapulse mode

KAUST Repository

Nasir, Ehson Fawad; Farooq, Aamir

2016-01-01

A temperature sensor based on the intrapulse absorption spectroscopy technique has been developed to measure in situ temperature time-histories in a rapid compression machine (RCM). Two quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs) emitting near 4.55μm and 4.89μm

Stable Single Polarization, Single Frequency, and Linear Cavity Er-Doped Fiber Laser Using a Saturable Absorber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Qi; Yan Feng-Ping; Peng Wan-Jing; Feng Su-Chun; Feng Ting; Tan Si-Yu; Liu Peng

2013-01-01

A simple approach for stable single polarization, single frequency, and linear cavity erbium doped fiber laser is proposed and demonstrated. A Fabry—Pérot filter, polarizer and saturable absorber are used together to ensure stable single frequency, single polarization operation. The optical signal-to-noise ratio of the laser is approximately 57 dB, and the Lorentz linewidth is 13.9 kHz. The polarization state of the laser with good stability is confirmed and the degree of polarization is >99%

Fast automotive diesel exhaust measurement using quantum cascade lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Herbst, J.; Brunner, R.; Lambrecht, A.

2013-12-01

Step by step, US and European legislations enforce the further reduction of atmospheric pollution caused by automotive exhaust emissions. This is pushing automotive development worldwide. Fuel efficient diesel engines with SCRtechnology can impede NO2-emission by reduction with NH3 down to the ppm range. To meet the very low emission limits of the Euro6 resp. US NLEV (National Low Emission Vehicle) regulations, automotive manufacturers have to optimize continuously all phases of engine operation and corresponding catalytic converters. Especially nonstationary operation holds a high potential for optimizing gasoline consumption and further reducing of pollutant emissions. Test equipment has to cope with demanding sensitivity and speed requirements. In the past Fraunhofer IPM has developed a fast emission analyzer called DEGAS (Dynamic Exhaust Gas Analyzer System), based on cryogenically cooled lead salt lasers. These systems have been used at Volkswagen AG`s test benches for a decade. Recently, IPM has developed DEGAS-Next which is based on cw quantum cascade lasers and thermoelectrically cooled detectors. The system is capable to measure three gas components (i.e. NO, NO2, NH3) in two channels with a time resolution of 20 ms and 1 ppm detection limits. We shall present test data and a comparison with fast FTIR measurements.

Intra-cavity vortex beam generation

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Naidoo, Darryl

2011-08-01

Full Text Available at exploring the methods of generating optical vortex beams. We will discuss a typical extra-cavity approach that harnesses digital holography through the use of a SLM. We consider vortex beam generation as the fundamental mode of a monolithic microchip laser...-cavity phase diffractive elements can result in the desired mode as the fundamental mode of the cavity with pure modal quality. This approach, although very attractive is insufficient for the generation of these modes in monolithic microchip lasers. A...

Homogeneous spectral spanning of terahertz semiconductor lasers with radio frequency modulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wan, W J; Li, H; Zhou, T; Cao, J C

2017-03-08

Homogeneous broadband and electrically pumped semiconductor radiation sources emitting in the terahertz regime are highly desirable for various applications, including spectroscopy, chemical sensing, and gas identification. In the frequency range between 1 and 5 THz, unipolar quantum cascade lasers employing electron inter-subband transitions in multiple-quantum-well structures are the most powerful semiconductor light sources. However, these devices are normally characterized by either a narrow emission spectrum due to the narrow gain bandwidth of the inter-subband optical transitions or an inhomogeneous broad terahertz spectrum from lasers with heterogeneous stacks of active regions. Here, we report the demonstration of homogeneous spectral spanning of long-cavity terahertz semiconductor quantum cascade lasers based on a bound-to-continuum and resonant phonon design under radio frequency modulation. At a single drive current, the terahertz spectrum under radio frequency modulation continuously spans 330 GHz (~8% of the central frequency), which is the record for single plasmon waveguide terahertz lasers with a bound-to-continuum design. The homogeneous broadband terahertz sources can be used for spectroscopic applications, i.e., GaAs etalon transmission measurement and ammonia gas identification.

A field-deployable compound-specific isotope analyzer based on quantum cascade laser and hollow waveguide

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Sheng; Deev, Andrei

2013-01-01

A field deployable Compound Specific Isotope Analyzer (CSIA) coupled with capillary chromatogrpahy based on Quantum Cascade (QC) lasers and Hollow Waveguide (HWG) with precision and chemical resolution matching mature Mass Spectroscopy has been achieved in our laboratory. The system could realize 0.3 per mil accuracy for 12C/13C for a Gas Chromatography (GC) peak lasting as short as 5 seconds with carbon molar concentration in the GC peak less than 0.5%. Spectroscopic advantages of HWG when working with QC lasers, i.e. single mode transmission, noiseless measurement and small sample volume, are compared with traditional free space and multipass spectroscopy methods.

Tuned optical cavity magnetometer

Science.gov (United States)

Okandan, Murat; Schwindt, Peter

2010-11-02

An atomic magnetometer is disclosed which utilizes an optical cavity formed from a grating and a mirror, with a vapor cell containing an alkali metal vapor located inside the optical cavity. Lasers are used to magnetically polarize the alkali metal vapor and to probe the vapor and generate a diffracted laser beam which can be used to sense a magnetic field. Electrostatic actuators can be used in the magnetometer for positioning of the mirror, or for modulation thereof. Another optical cavity can also be formed from the mirror and a second grating for sensing, adjusting, or stabilizing the position of the mirror.

Phase-locking of a 2.5 THz quantum cascade laser to a frequency comb using a GaAs photomixer.

Science.gov (United States)

Ravaro, M; Manquest, C; Sirtori, C; Barbieri, S; Santarelli, G; Blary, K; Lampin, J-F; Khanna, S P; Linfield, E H

2011-10-15

We report the heterodyne detection and phase locking of a 2.5 THz quantum cascade laser (QCL) using a terahertz frequency comb generated in a GaAs photomixer using a femtosecond fiber laser. With 10 mW emitted by the QCL, the phase-locked signal at the intermediate frequency yields 80 dB of signal-to-noise ratio in a bandwidth of 1 Hz.

A digital frequency stabilization system of external cavity diode laser based on LabVIEW FPGA

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhuohuan; Hu, Zhaohui; Qi, Lu; Wang, Tao

2015-10-01

Frequency stabilization for external cavity diode laser has played an important role in physics research. Many laser frequency locking solutions have been proposed by researchers. Traditionally, the locking process was accomplished by analog system, which has fast feedback control response speed. However, analog system is susceptible to the effects of environment. In order to improve the automation level and reliability of the frequency stabilization system, we take a grating-feedback external cavity diode laser as the laser source and set up a digital frequency stabilization system based on National Instrument's FPGA (NI FPGA). The system consists of a saturated absorption frequency stabilization of beam path, a differential photoelectric detector, a NI FPGA board and a host computer. Many functions, such as piezoelectric transducer (PZT) sweeping, atomic saturation absorption signal acquisition, signal peak identification, error signal obtaining and laser PZT voltage feedback controlling, are totally completed by LabVIEW FPGA program. Compared with the analog system, the system built by the logic gate circuits, performs stable and reliable. User interface programmed by LabVIEW is friendly. Besides, benefited from the characteristics of reconfiguration, the LabVIEW program is good at transplanting in other NI FPGA boards. Most of all, the system periodically checks the error signal. Once the abnormal error signal is detected, FPGA will restart frequency stabilization process without manual control. Through detecting the fluctuation of error signal of the atomic saturation absorption spectrum line in the frequency locking state, we can infer that the laser frequency stability can reach 1MHz.

A high-finesse Fabry–Perot cavity with a frequency-doubled green laser for precision Compton polarimetry at Jefferson Lab

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rakhman, A.; Hafez, M.; Nanda, S.; Benmokhtar, F.; Camsonne, A.; Cates, G.D.; Dalton, M.M.; Franklin, G.B.; Friend, M.; Michaels, R.W.; Nelyubin, V.; Parno, D.S.; Paschke, K.D.; Quinn, B.P.

2016-01-01

A high-finesse Fabry–Perot cavity with a frequency-doubled continuous wave green laser (532 nm) has been built and installed in Hall A of Jefferson Lab for high precision Compton polarimetry. The infrared (1064 nm) beam from a ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier seeded by a Nd:YAG nonplanar ring oscillator laser is frequency doubled in a single-pass periodically poled MgO:LiNbO_3 crystal. The maximum achieved green power at 5 W infrared pump power is 1.74 W with a total conversion efficiency of 34.8%. The green beam is injected into the optical resonant cavity and enhanced up to 3.7 kW with a corresponding enhancement of 3800. The polarization transfer function has been measured in order to determine the intra-cavity circular laser polarization within a measurement uncertainty of 0.7%. The PREx experiment at Jefferson Lab used this system for the first time and achieved 1.0% precision in polarization measurements of an electron beam with energy and current of 1.06 GeV and 50 μA.

A high-finesse Fabry–Perot cavity with a frequency-doubled green laser for precision Compton polarimetry at Jefferson Lab

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rakhman, A., E-mail: rahim@ornl.gov [Syracuse University, Department of Physics, Syracuse, NY 13244 (United States); Research Accelerator Division, Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Hafez, M. [Old Dominion University, Applied Research Center, Norfolk, VA 23529 (United States); Nanda, S. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Newport News, VA 23606 (United States); Benmokhtar, F. [Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Physics, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (United States); Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282 (United States); Camsonne, A. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Newport News, VA 23606 (United States); Cates, G.D. [University of Virginia, Department of Physics, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States); Dalton, M.M. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Newport News, VA 23606 (United States); University of Virginia, Department of Physics, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States); Franklin, G.B. [Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Physics, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (United States); Friend, M. [Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Physics, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (United States); High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Tsukuba, Ibaraki (Japan); Michaels, R.W. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Newport News, VA 23606 (United States); Nelyubin, V. [University of Virginia, Department of Physics, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States); Parno, D.S. [Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Physics, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (United States); University of Washington, Center for Experimental Nuclear Physics and Astrophysics and Department of Physics, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Paschke, K.D. [University of Virginia, Department of Physics, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States); Quinn, B.P. [Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Physics, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (United States); and others

2016-06-21

A high-finesse Fabry–Perot cavity with a frequency-doubled continuous wave green laser (532 nm) has been built and installed in Hall A of Jefferson Lab for high precision Compton polarimetry. The infrared (1064 nm) beam from a ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier seeded by a Nd:YAG nonplanar ring oscillator laser is frequency doubled in a single-pass periodically poled MgO:LiNbO{sub 3} crystal. The maximum achieved green power at 5 W infrared pump power is 1.74 W with a total conversion efficiency of 34.8%. The green beam is injected into the optical resonant cavity and enhanced up to 3.7 kW with a corresponding enhancement of 3800. The polarization transfer function has been measured in order to determine the intra-cavity circular laser polarization within a measurement uncertainty of 0.7%. The PREx experiment at Jefferson Lab used this system for the first time and achieved 1.0% precision in polarization measurements of an electron beam with energy and current of 1.06 GeV and 50 μA.

Continuous-wave dual-wavelength operation of a distributed feedback laser diode with an external cavity using a volume Bragg grating

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Yujin; Sekine, Takashi; Kurita, Takashi; Kato, Yoshinori; Kawashima, Toshiyuki

2018-03-01

We demonstrate continuous-wave dual-wavelength operation of a broad-area distributed feedback (DFB) laser diode with a single external-cavity configuration. This high-power DFB laser has a narrow bandwidth (current and temperature ranges.

An experimental study of noise in mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers of different designs

Science.gov (United States)

Schilt, Stéphane; Tombez, Lionel; Tardy, Camille; Bismuto, Alfredo; Blaser, Stéphane; Maulini, Richard; Terazzi, Romain; Rochat, Michel; Südmeyer, Thomas

2015-04-01

We present an experimental study of noise in mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) of different designs. By quantifying the high degree of correlation occurring between fluctuations of the optical frequency and voltage between the QCL terminals, we show that electrical noise is a powerful and simple mean to study noise in QCLs. Based on this outcome, we investigated the electrical noise in a large set of 22 QCLs emitting in the range of 7.6-8 μm and consisting of both ridge-waveguide and buried-heterostructure (BH) lasers with different geometrical designs and operation parameters. From a statistical data processing based on an analysis of variance, we assessed that ridge-waveguide lasers have a lower noise than BH lasers. Our physical interpretation is that additional current leakages or spare injection channels occur at the interface between the active region and the lateral insulator in the BH geometry, which induces some extra noise. In addition, Schottky-type contacts occurring at the interface between the n-doped regions and the lateral insulator, i.e., iron-doped InP, are also believed to be a potential source of additional noise in some BH lasers, as observed from the slight reduction in the integrated voltage noise observed at the laser threshold in several BH-QCLs.

Simple, low-noise piezo driver with feed-forward for broad tuning of external cavity diode lasers.

Science.gov (United States)

Doret, S Charles

2018-02-01

We present an inexpensive, low-noise (piezo driver suitable for frequency tuning of external-cavity diode lasers. This simple driver improves upon many commercially available drivers by incorporating circuitry to produce a "feed-forward" signal appropriate for making simultaneous adjustments to the piezo voltage and laser current, enabling dramatic improvements in a mode-hop-free laser frequency tuning range. We present the theory behind our driver's operation, characterize its output noise, and demonstrate its use in absorption spectroscopy on the rubidium D 1 line.

Acetone vapor sensing using a vertical cavity surface emitting laser diode coated with polystyrene

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ansbæk, Thor; Nielsen, Claus Højgaard; Larsen, Niels Bent

2009-01-01

We report theoretical and experimental on a new vapor sensor, using a single-mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) coated with a polymer sensor coating, which can detect acetone vapor at a volume fraction of 2.5%. The sensor provides the advantage of standard packaging, small form...

Self-mixing interferometry in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers for nanomechanical cantilever sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Larsson, David; Greve, Anders; Hvam, Jørn M.; Boisen, Anja; Yvind, Kresten

2009-03-01

We have experimentally investigated self-mixing interference produced by the feedback of light from a polymer micrometer-sized cantilever into a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser for sensing applications. In particular we have investigated how the visibility of the optical output power and the junction voltage depends on the laser injection current and the distance to the cantilever. The highest power visibility obtained from cantilevers without reflective coatings was ˜60%, resulting in a very high sensitivity of 45 mV/nm with a noise floor below 1.2 mV. Different detection schemes are discussed.

NO kinetics in pulsed low-pressure nitrogen plasmas studied by time resolved quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Welzel, S.; Guaitella, O.; Lazzaroni, C.; Pintassilgo, C.; Rousseau, A.; Röpcke, J.

2011-01-01

Time-resolved quantum cascade laser absorption spectroscopy at 1897 cm-1 (5.27 µm) has been applied to study the NO(X) kinetics on the micro- and millisecond time scale in pulsed low-pressure N2/NO dc discharges. Experiments have been performed under flowing and static gas conditions to infer the

Performance of Partial and Cavity Type Squealer Tip of a HP Turbine Blade in a Linear Cascade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Levent Kavurmacioglu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Three-dimensional highly complex flow structure in tip gap between blade tip and casing leads to inefficient turbine performance due to aerothermal loss. Interaction between leakage vortex and secondary flow structures is the substantial source of that loss. Different types of squealer tip geometries were tried in the past, in order to improve turbine efficiency. The current research deals with comparison of partial and cavity type squealer tip concepts for higher aerothermal performance. Effects of squealer tip have been examined comprehensively for an unshrouded HP turbine blade tip geometry in a linear cascade. In the present paper, flow structure through the tip gap was comprehensively investigated by computational fluid dynamic (CFD methods. Numerical calculations were obtained by solving three-dimensional, incompressible, steady, and turbulent form of the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS equations using a general purpose and three-dimensional viscous flow solver. The two-equation turbulence model, shear stress transport (SST, has been used. The tip profile belonging to the Pennsylvania State University Axial Flow Turbine Research Facility (AFTRF was used to create an extruded solid model of the axial turbine blade. For identifying optimal dimensions of squealer rim in terms of squealer height and squealer width, our previous studies about aerothermal investigation of cavity type squealer tip were utilized. In order to obtain the mesh, an effective parametric generation has been utilized using a multizone structured mesh. Numerical calculations indicate that partial and cavity squealer designs can be effective to reduce the aerodynamic loss and heat transfer to the blade tip. Future efforts will include novel squealer shapes for higher aerothermal performance.

Efficient laser-induced 6-8 keV x-ray production from iron oxide aerogel and foil-lined cavity targets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pérez, F.; Kay, J. J.; Patterson, J. R.; Kane, J.; Villette, B.; Girard, F.; Reverdin, C.; May, M.; Emig, J.; Sorce, C.; Colvin, J.; Gammon, S.; Jaquez, J.; Satcher, J. H.; Fournier, K. B.

2012-08-01

The performance of new iron-based laser-driven x-ray sources has been tested at the OMEGA laser facility for production of x rays in the 6.5–8.5 keV range. Two types of targets were experimentally investigated: low-density iron oxide aerogels (density 6-16 mg/cm36-16 mg/cm3) and stainless steel foil-lined cavity targets (steel thickness 1-5 μm1-5 μm). The targets were irradiated by 40 beams of the OMEGA laser (500 J/beam, 1 ns pulse, wavelength 351 nm). All targets showed good coupling with the laser, with <5%<5% of the incident laser light backscattered by the resulting plasma in all cases (typically <2.5%<2.5%). The aerogel targets produced Te=2Te=2 to 3 keV, ne=0.12-0.2ne=0.12-0.2 critical density plasmas yielding a 40%–60% laser-to-x-ray total conversion efficiency (CE) (1.2%–3% in the Fe K-shell range). The foil cavity targets produced Te~2 keV, T_e~2 keV, n_e~0.15ne~0.15 critical density plasmas yielding a 60%–75% conversion efficiency (1.6%–2.2% in the Fe K-shell range). Time-resolved images illustrate that the volumetric heating of low-density aerogels allow them to emit a higher K-shell x-ray yield even though they contain fewer Fe atoms. However, their challenging fabrication process leads to a larger shot-to-shot variation than cavity targets.

Colloquium: cavity optomechanics

CERN Multimedia

2011-01-01

Monday 14 November 2011, 17:00 Ecole de Physique, Auditoire Stueckelberg Université de Genève Cavity optomechanics: controlling micro mechanical oscillators with laser light Prof. Tobias Kippenberg EPFL, Lausanne Laser light can be used to cool and to control trapped ions, atoms and molecules at the quantum level. This has lead to spectacular advances such as the most precise atomic clocks. An outstanding frontier is the control with lasers of nano- and micro-mechancial systems. Recent advances in cavity optomechanics have allowed such elementary control for the first time, enabling mechanical systems to be ground state cooled leading to readout with quantum limited sensitivity and permitting to explore new device concepts resulting from radiation pressure.  

Large static tuning of narrow-beam terahertz plasmonic lasers operating at 78K

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chongzhao Wu

2017-02-01

Full Text Available A new tuning mechanism is demonstrated for single-mode metal-clad plasmonic lasers, in which the refractive-index of the laser’s surrounding medium affects the resonant-cavity mode in the same vein as the refractive-index of gain medium inside the cavity. Reversible, continuous, and mode-hop-free tuning of ∼57 GHz is realized for single-mode narrow-beam terahertz plasmonic quantum-cascade lasers (QCLs, which is demonstrated at a much more practical temperature of 78 K. The tuning is based on post-process deposition/etching of a dielectric (silicon-dioxide on a QCL chip that has already been soldered and wire-bonded onto a copper mount. This is a considerably larger tuning range compared to previously reported results for terahertz QCLs with directional far-field radiation patterns. The key enabling mechanism for tuning is a recently developed antenna-feedback scheme for plasmonic lasers, which leads to the generation of hybrid surface-plasmon-polaritons propagating outside the cavity of the laser with a large spatial extent. The effect of dielectric deposition on QCL’s characteristics is investigated in detail including that on maximum operating temperature, peak output power, and far-field radiation patterns. Single-lobed beam with low divergence (<7° is maintained through the tuning range. The antenna-feedback scheme is ideally suited for modulation of plasmonic lasers and their sensing applications due to the sensitive dependence of spectral and radiative properties of the laser on its surrounding medium.

Investigations of repetition rate stability of a mode-locked quantum dot semiconductor laser in an auxiliary optical fiber cavity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Breuer, Stefan; Elsässer, Wolfgang; McInerney, J.G.

2010-01-01

We have investigated experimentally the pulse train (mode beating) stability of a monolithic mode-locked multi-section quantum-dot laser with an added passive auxiliary optical fiber cavity. Addition of the weakly coupled (¿ -24dB) cavity reduces the current-induced shift d¿/dI of the principal...

External cavity diode laser-based detection of trace gases with NICE-OHMS using current modulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Centeno, R; Mandon, J; Cristescu, S M; Axner, O; Harren, F J M

2015-03-09

We combine an external cavity diode laser with noise-immune cavity-enhanced optical heterodyne molecular spectroscopy (NICE-OHMS) using current modulation. With a finesse of 1600, we demonstrate noise equivalent absorption sensitivities of 4.1 x 10(-10) cm(-1) Hz(-1/2), resulting in sub-ppbv detection limits for Doppler-broadened transitions of CH(4) at 6132.3 cm(-1), C(2)H(2) at 6578.5 cm(-1) and HCN at 6541.7 cm(-1). The system is used for hydrogen cyanide detection from sweet almonds.

Effects of Er, Cr:YSGG laser irradiation on external adaptation of restorations in caries-affected cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tonetto, Mateus Rodrigues; Saad, José Roberto Cury; Campos, Edson Alves de; Neto, Sizenando de Toledo Porto; De Andrade, Marcelo Ferrarezi; Bandéca, Matheus Coelho; Borges, Alvaro Henrique; Pinto, Shelon Cristina Souza

2013-01-01

This study evaluated the effect of Er,Cr:YSGG laser irradiation on the external adaptation of composite resin restorations in caries-affected cavities. Mixed class V cavity preparations were performed in 36 intact human third molars, in half of which caries was artificially induced. Both healthy and carious dentin were etched with 35% phosphoric acid (Ultradent Products Inc., South Jordan, Utah, USA), and the teeth were divided into three groups, i.e., (a) untreated etched dentin, (b) application of the Er, Cr:YSGG laser and (c) use of chlorhexidine as an adjunct in the bonding process. Restorations were fabricated with Z350 XT FiltekTM composite resin (3M ESPE) and subsequently the specimens were subjected to thermocycling to simulate artificial ageing. Quantitative analysis of external adaptation was performed by scanning electron microscopy in both healthy and affected dentin using epoxy resin replicas. It was concluded that the application of laser and chlorhexidine did not affect the percentages of marginal adaptation of class V restorations. Furthermore, thermocycling may influence adaptation values. (letter)

An experimental study of noise in midinfrared quantum cascade lasers of different designs

OpenAIRE

Schilt, Stéphane; Tombez, Lionel; Tardy, Camille; Bismuto, Alfredo; Blaser, Stéphane; Maulini, Richard; Terazzi, Romain; Rochat, Michel; Südmeyer, Thomas

2015-01-01

We present an experimental study of noise in mid-infrared quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) of differ-ent designs. By quantifying the high degree of correlation occurring between fluctuations of the optical frequency and voltage between the QCL terminals, we show that electrical noise is a powerful and simple mean to study noise in QCLs. Based on this outcome, we investigated the electrical noise in a large set of 22 QCLs emitting in the range of 7.6–8 μm and consisting of both ridge-waveguide and...

Hollow waveguide cavity ringdown spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Dreyer, Chris (Inventor); Mungas, Greg S. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

Laser light is confined in a hollow waveguide between two highly reflective mirrors. This waveguide cavity is used to conduct Cavity Ringdown Absorption Spectroscopy of loss mechanisms in the cavity including absorption or scattering by gases, liquid, solids, and/or optical elements.

Morphological evaluation of cavity preparation surface after duraphat and Er:YAG laser treatment by scanning electronic microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodrigues, Luciane Borelli

2002-01-01

The treatment of dental surface using different lasers to prevent dental caries has been studied for several on last years. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the morphological changes on dentin surface from pulpal wall of cavity preparations performed by high-speed drill, treated with 2,26% fluoride varnish (Duraphat) and Er:YAG laser, and then submitted after receiving or not to EDTA 15% treatment. Twenty Class V cavities were performed on ten humans molars. The specimens were randomly divided in to 4 groups: group 1- treatment with Duraphat followed by Er:YAG laser irradiation (120 mJ/ 4 Hz); group 2: Er:YAG laser irradiation, same parameters, followed by Duraphat treatment; group 3- same group 1 followed by immersion in EDTA (5 min); group 4 - same as group 2 followed by immersion in EDTA (5 min). The specimens were processed for SEM analysis. The micrographs showed that Duraphat treatment promoted morphological changes on dentin, closing dentinal tubules; the specimens treated by Duraphat and Er:YAG laser and immersed in EDTA (group 3) showed homogeneous surface, closed and protected dentinal tubules, maintenance of the fluoride varnish on the dentin surface and around the dentinal tubules, showing feasible and efficiency of these therapies the feasibility.(author)

Gas spectroscopy with integrated frequency monitoring through self-mixing in a terahertz quantum-cascade laser.

Science.gov (United States)

Chhantyal-Pun, Rabi; Valavanis, Alexander; Keeley, James T; Rubino, Pierluigi; Kundu, Iman; Han, Yingjun; Dean, Paul; Li, Lianhe; Davies, A Giles; Linfield, Edmund H

2018-05-15

We demonstrate a gas spectroscopy technique, using self-mixing in a 3.4 terahertz quantum-cascade laser (QCL). All previous QCL spectroscopy techniques have required additional terahertz instrumentation (detectors, mixers, or spectrometers) for system pre-calibration or spectral analysis. By contrast, our system self-calibrates the laser frequency (i.e., with no external instrumentation) to a precision of 630 MHz (0.02%) by analyzing QCL voltage perturbations in response to optical feedback within a 0-800 mm round-trip delay line. We demonstrate methanol spectroscopy by introducing a gas cell into the feedback path and show that a limiting absorption coefficient of ∼1×10 -4   cm -1 is resolvable.

Dual-wavelength external cavity laser device for fluorescence suppression in Raman spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xuting; Cai, Zhijian; Wu, Jianhong