Hannover 2010 – scientific programme
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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 5: Laser Development: Nonlinear Effects I
Q 5.7: Talk
Monday, March 8, 2010, 15:30–15:45, F 128
Highly Efficient Generation of the Second and Fourth Harmonic of Nd:YAG Laser Light — •Rajat Marwah1, Sandra Mebben1, Christian Kolleck1,2, Jörg Neumann1,2, and Dietmar Kracht1,2 — 1Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V., Hollerithallee 8, D-30419 Hannover, Germany — 2Centre for Quantum-Engineering and Space-Time Research-Quest, Welfengarten 1, D-30167 Hannover, Germany
We present our results for various frequency conversion systems developed during the technology preparation program for the Martian Organic Molecular Analyzer laser of the joint ESA/NASA ExoMars Mission. A regular fiber-coupled passively Q-switched and linearly polarized Nd:YAG laser was used. The design of the harmonic generation stages is compact, with combined length of second and fourth harmonic generation stages down to 20 mm. The frequency conversion is highly efficient yielding > 80 % efficiency of conversion from 1064 nm to 532 nm using KTP and > 40 % efficiency from 532 nm to 266 nm using BBO. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest efficiency achieved yet for a Q-switched system using BBO in single pass configuration. In the best case, M* of the UV beam was measured to be ~1.3 in the worse axis. The system has been shown to work with repetition rates up to 80 Hz.
An oscillator directly pumped with a diode stack with elliptical beam profile was also used for comparison, and although the 1064 nm beam had an M2 of ~3 in the worse axis, still high efficiencies (up to 80 % for 532 nm and ~30 % for 266 nm) could be obtained.