INJECTION SEEDING OF A Ti:SAPPHIRE RING LASER IN THE REGION FROM 922 nm TO 942 nm

摘要

Ti:sapphire lasers cover a wavelength range in the near infrared (0.7 -1.0 μm) suitable for remote sensing applications. Of our particular interest is an airborne laser system for water vapor concentration measurements in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. For measuring at these altitudes, water vapor absorption lines in the region around 940 nm are suitable. We set up a compact system pumped with a flashlamp-pumped frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser. Injection seeding off the gain peak yielded single mode operation of a Ti:sapphire ring laser without a tuning element. With a few milliwatts of seed power effective seeding in the region from 922 nm to 942 nm was demonstrated.