We present measurements of the power noise due to optical amplification in a Nd:YAG free-space traveling-wave amplifier as the amplifier transitions from the linear regime into the heavily saturated regime. The quantum noise behavior is demonstrated by saturating the gain of a 100-W class zigzag slab amplifier with a high-power beam and measuring the power noise detected by a single-spatial-mode probe beam traversing the same optical path through the amplifier.
展开▼
