Mode-locked, cavity-dumped laser design considerations
Abstract
A flexible method, incorporating cavity dumping and cavity folding, for extracting individual mode-locked pulses from CW lasers is described. Interest centers on atomic relaxation processes occurring within the subnanosecond range. Difficulties in the use of available acoustic modulators and deflectors, confocal equivalent mirror cavities with maximum Fresnel numbers of the order of unity, and conventional mode-locking techniques are considered. Prohibitive diffraction losses may be avoided by folding the cavity with an end mirror. An optical path extending abount 3 m is achieved within the folded cavity with negligible increase in diffraction losses, in a 1-W CW argon ion laser oscillating at 5145 A.
- Publication:
-
Applied Optics
- Pub Date:
- September 1976
- DOI:
- 10.1364/AO.15.002020
- Bibcode:
- 1976ApOpt..15.2020C
- Keywords:
-
- Argon Lasers;
- Continuous Wave Lasers;
- Laser Mode Locking;
- Optical Resonators;
- Pulsed Lasers;
- Design Analysis;
- Dumping;
- Fresnel Diffraction;
- Mirrors;
- Optical Paths;
- Transmission Loss;
- Lasers and Masers;
- LASERS