Matériaux lasers dopés à l'ion ytterbium : Performances lasers en pompage par diodes lasers et étude des propriétés thermo-optiques à des températures cryogéniques

摘要

In solid-state lasers, heat generation in gain medium can introduce wave-front distorsions. The goal of my thesis is to measure thermo-optic coefficients (thermal conductivity, thermo-optic coefficient dn/dT and thermal expansion coefficient) of new laser materials allowing reaching high energy with high repetition rate. These laser materials are ytterbium doped ceramics of sesquioxides of scandium Sc2O3, lutetium Lu2O3 and yttrium Y2O3. These materials have also been tested in a free running laser oscillator: these experiments have shown the interest to work at low temperature. When driven at low temperature (cryogenic cooling), thermal properties of these materials are improved. Thermo-optical values of these materials are actually unknown in the literature, especially at low temperatures. Therefore, measuring these parameters is very important for the development of high-power lasers. Other materials have also been studied: ytterbium doped ceramics and crystals of YAG, crystals of calcium fluoride CaF2 and neodymium doped phosphate laser glass.