Open AccessSelf-Q-switched, orthogonally polarized, dual-wavelength laser using long-lifetime Yb^3+ crystal as both gain medium and saturable absorber
Author(s) -
Jü Xu,
Yuexia Ji,
Ye-Qing Wang,
Zhenyu You,
Hongyan Wang,
Chaoyang Tu
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.22.006577
Subject(s) - laser , saturable absorption , optics , materials science , output coupler , q switching , wavelength , pulse duration , polarization (electrochemistry) , optoelectronics , physics , fiber laser , chemistry
A novel self-Q-switched and orthogonally polarized dual-wavelength laser has been investigated with Yb³⁺-doped CGB disordered crystals. By slightly inclining output coupler to introduce the Fresnel loss, we realized simultaneously dual-wavelength laser operation at 1052.6 nm in E//b polarization and 1057.7 nm in E//c polarization with a frequency difference of 1.38 THz. Self-Q-switched pulse generation was observed in this free-running laser, originating from the nonlinear reabsorption effect of Yb:CGB as well as the strong storage of inversion population induced by the long excited-state lifetime (~1 ms). Pulse duration of 287 ns was obtained with an output average power of 416 mW and a repetition rate of 35 kHz. The self-Q-switching effect increased the peak power by 100 times the average power. This very simple laser, free from the complexity and high-cost of additional intracavity polarization modulator and Q-switcher, may be applied for constructing miniature, integrated and portable laser system.