Laser interferometric studies of thermal effects
of diode-pumped solid state lasing medium

Peng, Xiaoyuan; Asundi, Anand K.; Xu, Lei; Chen, Yihong
Xiong, Zhenjun; Lim, Gnian Cher

AA(Nanyang Technological Univ.)
AD(Gintic Institute of Manufacturing Technology)

Publication:
Proc. SPIE Vol. 3929, p. 193-198, Solid State Lasers IX, Richard Scheps; Ed.
Publication Date: 04/2000

Abstract:
Thermal effects dramatically influence the laser performance of diode-pumped solid state lasers (DPSSL). There are three factors accounting for thermal effects in diode-pumped laser medium: the change of the refractive index due to temperature gradient, the change of the refractive index due to thermal stress, and the change of the physical length due to thermal expansion (end effect), in which the first two effects can be called as thermal parts. A laser interferometer is proposed to measure both the bulk and physical messages of solid-state lasing medium. There are two advantages of the laser interferometry to determine the thermal lensing effect. One is that it allows separating the average thermal lens into thermal parts and end effect. Another is that the laser interferometry provides a non-invasive, full field, high-resolution means of diagnosing such effects by measuring the optical path difference induced by thermal loading in a lasing crystal reliable without disturbing the normal working conditions of the DPSS laser. Relevant measurement results are presented in this paper.

©2000 SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering.

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