Nonlinear analysis of thermal induced birefringence of YAG laser crystal

TIAN Jia; HU Jian; WANG Ke; WANG Hailin; ZHU Changhong; ZHU Guangzhi; QI Lijun; ZHU Xiao

doi:10.7510/jgjs.issn.1001-3806.2015.04.020

To overcome the shortage of mismatch of the calculated value and the measured value of thermal induced birefringence and thermal focal length when applying linear heat conduction model to describe a laser crystal operating in high power, based on nonlinear heat conduction model analysis, the distribution of the thermal induced birefringence ellipse and the radial or tangential thermal focal length in a Nd:YAG laser crystal of common [111]-cut were analyzed. The average thermal focal length data and rotated interference pattern of linearly polarized light were measured. The experimental results fit the theoretical analysis. The results show that nonlinear model provides more realistic and more general description for an Nd:YAG laser crystal in [111]-cut. The result is helpful for the design of radial or tangential polarized high power solid-state lasers.

Nonlinear analysis of thermal induced birefringence of YAG laser crystal

Corresponding author: ZHU Xiao, zx@mail.hust.edu.cn

1. School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China;

2. National Engineering Research Center for Laser Processing, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China

Received Date: 2014-06-09

Accepted Date: 2014-07-17

Available Online: 2015-07-25

Abstract: To overcome the shortage of mismatch of the calculated value and the measured value of thermal induced birefringence and thermal focal length when applying linear heat conduction model to describe a laser crystal operating in high power, based on nonlinear heat conduction model analysis, the distribution of the thermal induced birefringence ellipse and the radial or tangential thermal focal length in a Nd:YAG laser crystal of common [111]-cut were analyzed. The average thermal focal length data and rotated interference pattern of linearly polarized light were measured. The experimental results fit the theoretical analysis. The results show that nonlinear model provides more realistic and more general description for an Nd:YAG laser crystal in [111]-cut. The result is helpful for the design of radial or tangential polarized high power solid-state lasers.

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Reference (16)

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Nonlinear analysis of thermal induced birefringence of YAG laser crystal

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