Intracavity four wave mixing using modulated optical feedback in a diode-pumped Nd:YVO4 laser

摘要

Often considered as a negative and parasitic effect, optical feedback perturbations in a laser oscillator have also been demonstrated as an efficient optical sensing technique for different measurements such as telemetry, velocimetry or imaging [1],[2]. This technique is intrinsically very efficient with single frequency class B lasers such as solid state lasers. Such lasers are characterized by strong relaxation oscillations after a time-dependant perturbation. In such a scheme also called Laser feedback Interferometry (LFI), the response to optical feedback is strongly enhanced if the beating frequency between the oscillating wave in the cavity and the optical feedback is close to the relaxation oscillations frequency of the laser.