7-11 July 2014
Africa/Johannesburg timezone
<a href="http://events.saip.org.za/internalPage.py?pageId=16&confId=34"><font color=#0000ff>SAIP2014 Proceedings published on 17 April 2015</font></a>

A New Technique to Electro-Optically Q-switch Uniaxial Gain Materials.

10 Jul 2014, 10:20
20m
D Les 102

D Les 102

Oral Presentation Track C - Photonics Photonics

Speaker

Mr Loyiso Maweza (CSIR)

Apply to be<br> considered for a student <br> &nbsp; award (Yes / No)?

Yes

Level for award<br>&nbsp;(Hons, MSc, <br> &nbsp; PhD)?

PhD

Would you like to <br> submit a short paper <br> for the Conference <br> Proceedings (Yes / No)?

Yes

Main supervisor (name and email)<br>and his / her institution

Dr. Hencharl Strauss and hstrauss@csir.co.za

Abstract content <br> &nbsp; (Max 300 words)<br><a href="http://events.saip.org.za/getFile.py/access?resId=0&materialId=0&confId=34" target="_blank">Formatting &<br>Special chars</a>

We introduce a new technique of Electro-Optic Q-switching which exploits the polarization dependence of a uniaxial gain medium. Conventional Electro-Optic Q-switched cavities require both a polarizer and a wave plate in addition to an Electro-Optic Modulator (EOM) which rotates the beam polarization within a few nano-seconds. The new technique eliminates the need for a polarizer, which is an advantage for short pulse, high peak power Q switched lasers. This is because polarizers are susceptible to damage and can significantly lengthen the cavity, which increases the output pulse length.

Uniaxial gain materials like Nd:YVO4 have different thermo-dioptric constants in two crystallographic directions, which causes the two polarization states to experience different thermal lens strengths for a-cut crystals. The cavity can be switched between stable and unstable states by rotating the polarization with a Pockels cell. The results in a rapid change in the cavity quality, which Q-switches the resonator.

The presentation will first review conventional Electro-Optic Q-switched methods after which the new technique will be introduced. It will then be shown how the new technique was implemented in a short Nd:YVO4 cavity. The experiments confirmed that the new technique is viable and operating regimes, advantages and disadvantages of the new technique will be presented.

Primary author

Mr Loyiso Maweza (CSIR)

Co-authors

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