MULTISPECTRAL LASER DIODE PUMPED TM:HO:YLF LASER

THE PROGRAM PROPOSED HEREIN IS THE EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE LASER DIODE PUMPED 2.0, 2.3 AND 3.8 UM TM;HO:YLF CASCADE LASER. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO DEVELOP A SIMULTANEOUS, MULTIPLE WAVELENGTH MID-IR LASER SOURCE FOR USE AS AN ACTIVE COUNTER-MEASURE AGAINST ADVANCED IR SEEKING MISSILES. TO DATE, ONLY THE 2.0 AND 2.3 UM WAVELENGTHS FROM TM:HO:YLF HAS BEEN EXAMINED. THIS PROGRAM PROPOSES TO EXAMINE THE PREVIOUSLY UNLASED 3.8 UM TM TRANSITION ALONG WITH THE 2.0 AND 2.3 UM WAVELENGTHS USING A LASER DIODE AS THE EXCITATION SOURCE. IN PHASE I OF THIS PROGRAM WE WILL CONSTRUCT AND CHARACTERIZE A LASER DIODE PUMPED 2.0, 2.3 AND 3.8 UM TM:HO:YLF CASCADE LASER. LASER CRYSTAL AND RESONATOR PARAMETERS WILL BE OPTIMIZED FOR EFFICIENT, MULTIPLE WAVELENGTH CASCADE LASER OPERATION AT 2.0, 2.3 AND 3.8 UM. IN A PHASE II PROGRAM WE WILL OPTIMIZE THE MULTIPLE WAVELENGTH OPERATION FOR INCREASED OUTPUT POWER AND CHARACTERIZED OPERATION WITH AN OPO AT EACH WAVELENGTH TO EXTEND THE MULTIPLE WAVELENGTH OPERATING RANGE FURTHER INTO THE MID-IR. ALSO, Q-SWITCHING AT REPETITION RATES FROM 0.1 TO 100 KHZ WILL BE EXAMINED.