AN ALL SOLID STATE TUNABLE LASER FOR REMOTE SENSING APPLICATIONS

THE NEED FOR CONTINUOUSLY TUNABLE LASER SOURCES FOR SEVERAL SPACE APPLICATIONS IS WELL RECONIZED. HOWEVER, TO DATE NO SUCH SOURCE EXISTS THAT CAN BE EXPECTED TO BE SPACE QUALIFIED IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THIS PROJECT INVOLVES INVESTIGATION OF THE POTENTIAL OF AN ALL SOLID STATE TUNABLE LASER SYSTEM WHICH WILL EMIT IN THE 650 NM TO 900 NM BAND AND WHICH HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR ALSO EMITTING CONTINUOUSLY BETWEEN 488 NM AND 290 NM BY SECOND HARMONIC GENERATION AND SUM FREQUENCY MIXING IN NONLINEAR CRYSTALS. SUCH A DEVICE WOULD COVER A LARGE REGION OF THE SPECTRUM WHICH IS OF INTEREST FOR REMOTE SENSING FROM SATELLITES. A SOLUTION TO MEETING THESE REQUIREMENTS IS TO UTILIZE THE WELL-DEVELOPED TECHNOLOGY OF THE FREQUENCY-DOUBLED ND:YAG LASER TO PUMP THE TUNABLE VIBRONIC LASER SYSTEM OF TI:SAPPHIRE. THIS DEVICE WITH THE ADDITION OF SEMICONDUCTOR LASER PUMPING OF THE ND:YAG PUMP LASER WOULD HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO GAS OR LIQUID COMPONENTS AND COULD EASILY BE COOLED BY CONDUCTION COOLING.