Tuning and stability of a singly resonant continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator close to degeneracy

Power Scaling of CW Crystalline OPOs and Raman Lasers

Optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) and Raman lasers are two nonlinear-based laser technologies that extend the spectral range of conventional inversion lasers. Power and brightness scaling of lasers are significant for many applications in industry, medicine, and defense. Considerable advances have been made to enhance the power and brightness of inversion lasers. However, research around the power scaling of nonlinear lasers is lacking. This paper reviews the development and progress of output power of continuous-wave (CW) crystalline OPOs and Raman lasers. We further evaluate the power scalability of these two laser technologies by analyzing the cavity architectures and gain materials used in these lasers. This paper also discusses why diamond Raman lasers (DRLs) show tremendous potential as a single laser source for generating exceedingly high output powers and high brightness.

Mid-infrared optical parametric oscillators and frequency combs for molecular spectroscopy

Review of mid-infrared optical parametric oscillators and frequency combs for high-resolution spectroscopy, including applications in trace gas detection and fundamental research.

High-power, narrow-bandwidth mid-infrared PPMgLN optical parametric oscillator with a volume Bragg grating

We report on a high-power, narrow spectral bandwidth 2.907 µm PPMgLN optical parametric oscillator (OPO) pumped by a 1.064 µm pulsed Nd:YAG MOPA laser source. Free-running operation of the OPO exhibits maximum average output power of 71.6 W at 2.907 µm with a slope efficiency of 26.7%. Broad 2.907 μm spectral bandwidth of the free-running OPO was suppressed from ~9 nm to less than 0.7 nm by using a VBG as one cavity mirror. The maximum average power was 51.7 W at 2907.55 nm for the spectrum-narrowed OPO, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 22.5%. Continuously tunable ranges of ~8 nm around 2.907 µm had been achieved via adjusting the temperatures of the VBG and PPMgLN accordingly.

High-power, single-frequency, continuous-wave optical parametric oscillator employing a variable reflectivity volume Bragg grating

A continuous-wave singly-resonant optical parametric oscillator (SRO) with an optimum extraction efficiency, that can be adjusted independent of the pump power, is demonstrated. The scheme employs a variable-reflectivity volume Bragg grating (VBG) as the output coupler of a ring cavity, omitting any additional intra-cavity elements. In this configuration, we obtained a 75%-efficient SRO with a combined signal (19 W @ 1.55 µm) and idler (11 W @ 3.4 µm) output power of 30 W.

High-power mid-infrared frequency comb from a continuous-wave-pumped bulk optical parametric oscillator

We demonstrate that it is possible to obtain a mid-infrared optical frequency comb (OFC) experimentally by using a continuous-wave-pumped optical parametric oscillator (OPO). The comb is generated without any active modulation. It is based on cascading quadratic nonlinearities that arise from intra-cavity phase mismatched second harmonic generation of the signal wave that resonates in the OPO. The generated OFC is transferred from the signal wavelength (near-infrared) to the idler wavelength (mid-infrared) by intracavity difference frequency generation between the OPO pump wave and the signal comb. We have produced a mid-infrared frequency comb which is tunable from 3.0 to 3.4 µm with an average output power of up to 3.1 W.

Focus issue introduction: nonlinear optics

It is now fifty years since the original observation of second harmonic generation ushered in the field of nonlinear optics, close on the heels of the invention of the laser. This feature issue celebrates this anniversary with papers that span the range from new nonlinear optical materials, through the increasingly novel methods that have been developed for phase matching, to emerging areas such as nonlinear metamaterials and plasmonic enhancement of optical properties. It is clear that the next fifty years of nonlinear optics will witness a proliferation of new applications with increasing technological impact.