Measurements of the operating characteristics of a 1064 nm pumped KTP RISTRA OPO.

Measurements of the operating characteristics of a 1064 nm pumped potassium titanyl phosphte (KTP) optical parametric oscillator (OPO) were carried out at the Electro Optics Systems Laboratory of Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). The OPO was developed by Sandia National Laboratories and employs a nonplanar image-rotating geometry that is known by the acronym RISTRA, denoting Rotated Image Singly-Resonant Twisted RectAngle. The OPO was configured for pumping by the 1064 nm fundamental wavelength of a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser to generate a signal wavelength at 1627 nm and idler wavelength at 3074 .8 nm. GTRI will be incorporate the OPO into a multi-wavelength lidar platform called the Integrated Atmospheric Characterization System (IACS). Prior to completion of the system design for the IACS platform, personnel at GTRI carried out a series of risk reduction experiments to measure the operating characteristics of the OPO. Sandia’s role in this effort included technical assistance with numerical modeling of OPO performance, selection of nonlinear optical crystals, specification of cavity-mirror dielectric coatings, selection of vendors for optical components, and advice concerning integration of the RISTRA OPO into the IACS platform. This report