Title :
Liquid-nitrogen-cooled Ti:Al2O3 laser
Author :
Schulz, Peter A. ; Henion, Scott R.
Author_Institution :
Lincoln Lab., MIT, Lexington, MA, USA
fDate :
4/1/1991 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
At 93 K, sapphire (Al2O3) has much better thermal properties than at room temperature. By taking advantage of the improved thermal properties, a Ti:Al2O3 laser was operated with 350 W of output power under thermal steady-state conditions. Model calculations of thermal lensing and higher order thermooptic aberrations indicate that the output power capability is 200 times larger at 77 K than at 300 K, consistent with experimental results. The discussion includes consideration of optical aberrations present in the laser and their effect on laser operation, a theoretical calculation of the onset of thermal steady state, and an examination of nonthermal issues. It is concluded that high-power operation of liquid-nitrogen-cooled Ti:Al2O3 lasers up to 1 kW is possible using a rod geometry
Keywords :
aberrations; sapphire; solid lasers; thermo-optical effects; titanium; 350 W; 77 K; Al2O3:Ti; Ti:Al2O3 laser; laser operation; liquid N2 cooled laser; model calculations; optical aberrations; output power capability; rod geometry; sapphire; theoretical calculation; thermal lensing; thermal properties; thermal steady state; thermal steady-state conditions; thermooptic aberrations; Cooling; Geometrical optics; Heat pumps; Laser noise; Optical distortion; Photonic crystals; Power generation; Pump lasers; Thermal conductivity; Thermal expansion;
Journal_Title :
Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
