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GENERAL INFORMATION
Field Guide to Laser Pulse Generation
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Description
This Guide provides the essential information on laser pulse generation, including Q switching, gain switching, mode locking, and the amplification of ultrashort pulses to high energies. Pulse characterization is also covered, along with the physical aspects and various technical limitations. This Guide is designed for industry practitioners, researchers, users of pulsed and ultrafast laser systems, and anyone wanting to learn more about the potential of different pulse generation methods.
Keywords: laser, Q switching, laser pulse, ultrafast laser, mode locking, pulse amplification, pulse characterization, gain switching
Table of Contents
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Front Matter
Open Access
- Introduction to Optical Pulses
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Introduction to Optical Pulses
- Q Switching
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Q Switching
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Cavity Dumping
- Gain Switching
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Gain Switching
- Mode Locking
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Mode Locking
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Optical Solitons
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Cavity Dumping
- Amplification of Ultrashort Pulses
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Amplification of Ultrashort Pulses
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Fiber Amplifiers
- Pulse Characterization
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Pulse Characterization
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Autocorrelators
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Equation Summary
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Back Matter
Open Access
Excerpt
Lasers and related devices have an amazing potential for generating both very intense and extremely short light pulses. Within four decades, a wide range of techniques for pulse generation has been developed; these techniques can be applied to different laser types and span a huge parameter space in terms of pulse duration, peak power, and pulse repetition rate. It is therefore not surprising that laser pulses have found an extremely wide range of applications.
The primary objective of this Field Guide is to provide an overview of all essential methods of laser pulse generation, including Q switching, gain switching, mode locking, and also the amplification of ultrashort pulses to high energies. Some material on pulse characterization is also provided. Both the physical aspects involved and the various technical limitations are discussed in significant depth. This Field Guide should therefore be very useful for a wide audience, including practitioners in industry as well as researchers. Even those who only apply, but do not themselves develop, pulsed and ultrafast laser systems can learn, for example, about the potential of different pulse generation methods.
I am greatly indebted to my wife, Christine, who strongly supported the creation of this Field Guide by improving many of the figures.
Dr. Rüdiger Paschotta
RP Photonics Consulting GmbH
Zürich, Switzerland
©2008 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers
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