1 W Nd-YAG single-longitudinal-mode ring laser usingacousto-optic modulator
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Abstract
Using unidirectional ring resonator is the most promising way to get high power single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) laser output. To enforce the singlelongitudinal-mode ring cavity to operate unidirectionally, a component which can introduce loss difference between the counter-propagating beams in the cavity is necessary. A diode-pumped Nd∶YAG SLM four-mirror rectangle ring laser was experimentally demonstrated. The stability of the cavity was ensured by the thermal of the gain medium, and an intra-cavity acousto-optic modulator was used as the optical diode, which provided different losses on the counterpropagating beams. The beam with larger loss died out in their competition for the gain and hence the unidirectional operation was demonstrated. An SLM output power of 1 W at 1.06 m with a beam quality factor M2 of 1.21 was obtained. The considerable increased output power and compact architecture are especially important for future practical application.
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