Liquid-cooled ceramic Nd:YAG split-disk amplifier for high-average-power laser

A liquid-cooled ceramic Nd:YAG split-disk laser amplifier has been designed for a high-average-power laser system. The maximum average output power of 17.1 W (1.71 J at 10 Hz) and the beam size of far-field pattern with 1.5 times diffraction limit was obtained. The combination of liquid cooling for disk laser material and wavefront compensation with a phase conjugation mirror was demonstrated. The wavefront degradation by liquid cooling was observed and measured with Michelson interferometer and far-field patterns.     

Analysis of a loss-compensated recirculating delayed self-heterodyne interferometer for laser linewidth measurement

A loss-compensated recirculating delayed self-heterodyne interferometer (LC-RDSHI) for laser linewidth measurement is theoretically analyzed. An analytical result for the output spectrum of the LC-RDSHI is obtained. It is found that the spectrum from a LC-RDSHI is equivalent to a spectrum from a conventional delayed self-heterodyne interferometer with equivalent time delay and frequency shift, but modified by a periodical function, which could significantly influence the laser linewidth measurement. The parameters of a LC-RDSHI must be optimized to permit an accurate and direct measurement of laser linewidth from the output spectrum.     

离轴非球面在细磨与粗抛阶段的波面再现技术

基于付科法的离轴非球面波面再现检测技术,通过对付科检测过程的数学分析,建立了离轴非球面波面再现的数学模型,提出了波面整合算法,通过对两幅阴影图灰度值积分、去倾斜及波面整合等数据处理再现出被检离轴非球面的波面误差.在被检离轴非球面两个方向的弥散斑分别为0.152mm和0.284mm时,干涉检测得到其面形误差峰谷值为1.110μm、均方根值为0.194μm,且两种检测方法的波面轮廓相一致.实验结果验证了基于付科法的离轴非球面再现技术的正确性,可以应用于指导离轴非球面在细磨粗抛阶段的加工并且实现与精抛光阶段干涉检测的有效衔接.     

Single-element interferometer

A very simple and stable interferometer using a single optical element - a beam-splitter cube - is presented. The device resembles a two-arm interferometer in which the arms are together in one collimated beam, and the two beam halves interfere with the help of the beam-splitter cube. The proposed device produces simultaneously two interferograms with a relative phase-shift of π (rad). Since the period of straight interference fringes can be stably controlled, the device has potential application in spatial-carrier interferometry and for flexible writing of fiber Bragg gratings.     

用于微位移测量的笔束激光干涉仪

介绍了一种基于空间干涉原理的亚微米零差干涉位移测量方法。该方法是对笔束激光干涉仪在微位移测量领域的应用 ,干涉仪的测量精度不受光束波前畸变等光源噪声的影响。给出了干涉仪主要结构参数的选取原则 ;构建了用于微位移测量的笔束激光干涉仪实验系统。实验结果表明 ,该系统具有纳米测量分辨率。     

A longitudinal stern-gerlach atomic interferometer

A new magnetic field configuration has been used in the mixing and elongating regions of the longitudinal Stern-Gerlach interferometer. This configuration has proven to considerably improve the performances of the interferometer. An analysis in terms of the vector model of a spin 1 particle is presented.Laboratoire associé au CNRS, URA 282     

The magnesium ramsey interferometer: Applications and prospects

In this paper it will be shown that an atom interferometer, based on the coherent splitting of the atomic wavefunction by four travelling waves (Ramsey interferometer), may be explained by a purely mechanical interpretation. As our first application of this Ramsey interferometer we have measured the phase shifts respectively optical length changes in a magnesium atomic beam caused by the acceleration of the partial atomic wave in one arm of the interferometer. This acceleration was achieved by the dipole force exerted by an off-resonant crossing laser beam which interacted with the ground state part of the wavefunction only. Further applications of this interferometer and improvements due to laser cooling will be discussed.     

Precise determination of high metallic reflection in the far-infrared: The reflection-Fabry-Perot

We demonstrate in theory and experiment the use of a reflective Fabry-Perot interferometer to precisely determine the far-infrared reflectance of smooth metal surfaces. The absorption loss in the metal is amplified and thus conveniently measuredon resonance whereas the 100% reflectance reference is takenoff resonance. Absolute accuracy of ±0.1% is achievable.     

Demonstration of a recombined Fabry-Perot-Michelson interferometer with suspended mirrors

We describe preliminary experimental results concerning the operation of a 3 m arm-length Michelson interferometer with two Fabry-Perot cavities whose mirrors and beam splitter are suspended independently by wires. The reflected light beams from the two Fabry-Perot cavities are recombined to obtain interference at a photo-detector; this scheme is necessary for future power-recycled laser interferometers used to detect gravitational waves. The fundamental properties of the interferometer are presented, including the power spectral density of the displacement noise.     

A study of symmetrical LLL X-Ray polylithic interferometers on the basis of the Takagi equations

The Takagi approach to the dynamical theory of x-ray diffraction has been used to study LLL x-ray polylithic interferometers. A computational tool has been implemented to solve the Takagi equations with boundary conditions of the Cauchy type. The mean intensity, visibility and initial phase of the x-ray fringes generated by displacing the analyzer have been calculated for any wavefront, absorption of the incident radiation and for the most common geometric arrangements. Geometric aberrations of different kinds, introduced during interferometer preparation, are considered. The curve relevant to the calculated difference between the reflected and transmitted x-ray fringes as a function of analyzer rotation is in agreement with the experimental curve.     

Measurement of the frequency modulation transfer function of a laser using a Mach–Zehnder interferometer

A technique is presented for determining the frequency modulation transfer function of a laser. The method is based on a Mach–Zehnder interferometer, with a significant difference in the optical path lengths of the two arms. A frequency-modulated laser beam incident on the interferometer produces a phase-modulated photocurrent signal with an effective modulation index that is related to the amplitude of the optical frequency modulation. Techniques for determining both the amplitude and the phase of the optical frequency modulation from the photocurrent signal are described.     

基于相干波面光强分布的静态干涉图的数字分析

提出了基于相干波面光强分布的静态干涉图数字处理的新方法 ,即在CQG Ⅱ型激光数字波面干涉仪上通过分别微调参考镜和被测镜的倾斜量 ,在CCD探测器上获得形成静态干涉图的两幅相干波面光强分布图 ,利用这两幅光强分布图与它们所形成的干涉图 ,可高精度地完成静态干涉图的数字分析。利用相干原理 ,给出了实现该方法的基本过程 ,并编程实现了该数字分析 ,获得了实验测量结果。通过与相移测量结果相比较 ,验证该方法对口径为 60mm的平面有望达到的测量精度。     

An integrated optical sensor for measuring glucose concentration

We used an optical sensor combined with a Mach-Zehnder interferometric waveguide and optical fibers to measure slight changes of aqueous sugar concentrations. The merits of this sensor are simplicity, reliability, high sensitivity and continuous monitoring. The technique is based on the fact that the refractive index of sugar solution changes with the concentration of sugar. In the experiment, one arm of the interferometer is clad with glue and is thus isolated from the sugar solution. The other one is exposed to the sugar solution. A single mode fiber is directly glued onto the interferometric waveguide, to guide the light into the interferometer. If the concentration of sugar covering the waveguide changes, the phase of propagating light in the exposed arm will be changed, while the phase in the other arm is fixed. Hence the output intensity from the interferometer is directly related to the concentration of the sugar solution. The result of this experiment yields the relation between the sugar concentration and output signal. From 0% to 1% concentration of sugar solution, there is only a 1.4×10^–3 refractive index difference. Two sets of experimental data have been obtained, showing a linear relation between the sugar concentration and the output signal from our sensor. This sensor could be used for continuous monitoring of blood sugar in the human body.     

长干涉腔波长移相计算的自适应相位筛选法

波长移相干涉仪可用于大口径光学元件的测试。其移相量需经过标定方可采用定步长移相算法计算相位分布。在长腔长测试条件下,由于激光器的波长调谐驱动源的精度有限,采用定步长移相算法求解相位分布的精度不高。在分析干涉腔长和波面计算误差的基础上,提出了一种自适应相位筛选计算方法。根据电压-相位标定曲线采集多组周期干涉图,对干涉图中的光强值进行均匀分布抽样后,对其进行随机移相计算,求取每帧干涉图精确的步进移相量,从中筛选出移相量为π/2的四帧干涉图,利用四步移相计算公式求得精确的相位分布。实验结果表明,在波长移相干涉仪中运用该方法,可以很好地解决长腔长测试条件下的相位计算问题,与未进行筛选的计算结果比较,其测试精度得到了显著提高。     

双剪切波面干涉测量法

用于星间通信的激光器具有接近衍射极限的激光波面,已有的波面测量方法,在这一具体测量问题中,都存在一定限制。双剪切波面干涉测量法在雅满横向剪切干涉仪的基础上,采用四块楔形平板,将干涉图分为上下两个部分,具有不同的条纹间距,由此求出波面高度和符号,同得到单幅干涉图的其它干涉测量方法相比,它的最小可测量波高减小一倍以上。在介绍干涉仪的基本结构和原理的基础上,模拟了像差存在时的干涉图,并在实验上得到了波高为0．3A的初步结果。双剪切波面干涉测量法,可以目视判断波差的符号和估计量值,为等光程相干,适用于半导体等相干长度小的光源。     

Direct laser ablation of sub-100 nm line structures into polyimide

Periodic line structures with a period of 167 nm and linewidths varying from 30 to 100 nm have been produced in polyimide by direct ablation with a KrF laser using an interferometric technique. The characteristics of this interferometer as it applies to the ablation of these line structures, including linewidth and alignment sensitivity, are analyzed. The ability to control the linewidth by varying the average incident fluence is described theoretically and demonstrated experimentally. This externally generated period of 167 nm also prevents the spontaneous growth of laser induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS).     

软X射线双频光栅剪切干涉法研究

本文中设计了一种利用软X射线双频光栅作为剪切干涉元件的剪切系统, 使剪切干涉法在软X射线波段得到了应用. 介绍了软X射线双频光栅的结构及衍射特性, 在同步辐射光束线对双频光栅的效率分布进行了测试实验, 两个剪切级次的效率比值高于75%, 干扰级次效率低于5%. 利用软X射线双频光栅为剪切干涉光学元件, 对待测靶进行了静态检测, 得到了对比度高, 稳定的干涉条纹, 验证了该方法在软X射线等离子体密度诊断中的可行性. 关键词： 双频光栅 剪切干涉仪 软X射线 等离子体诊断     

Limitations and guidelines for measuring the spectral width of ultrashort light pulses with a scanning Fabry–Pérot interferometer

The measurement of the spectral width of ultrashort light pulses using a Fabry–Pérot interferometer (FPI) is investigated. It is shown, numerically and experimentally, that the measured width critically depends on the pulse properties (such as pulse shape, pulse duration, frequency chirp and wavelength) and on the properties of the FPI (such as the mirror spacing and the mirror reflectivities). The obtained results are of particular importance if the spatial length of the short light pulses is comparable or even shorter than the distance between the FPI mirrors. The derived guideline indicate that the actual spectral width of the ultrashort light pulses is measured with good accuracy only if the finesse F≥40 and the round trip time of the light pulses inside the Fabry–Pérot interferometer is approximately one to three times the pulse duration. Received: 17 December 1999 / Revised version: 14 April 2000 / Published online: 5 July 2000     

Low-coherence interferometry by intensity correlation

‘Low-coherence interferometry’ is an old technique which has had a wide development recently, and is based on the fact that interference with a path difference much longer that the coherence length gives rise to a ‘channeled spectrum’, which can be detected either by a dispersive spectroscope or by a second interferometer with a variable delay. We have tested an alternative way to detect path differences in this kind of interferometry, by analyzing the output intensity fluctuation correlations by a radiofrequency spectrum analyzer, and Fourier transforming the data. This method is suitable for very long path differences. The experiments have been performed with different lengths of single-mode fibre, in Mach–Zehnder and Fabry–Pérot configurations. Received: 30 March 2000 / Revised version: 17 Juli 2000 / Published online: 20 September 2000     

大口径光学元件中频波前的检测

大口径光学元件中频波前的准确评价已成为高功率激光系统中关注的焦点,元件中频波前均方根值是重要评价指标之一。根据波前中频检测频段及波前检测设备频响特性,将波前的中频区域分为两个检测频段,分别采用干涉仪和光学轮廓仪实现了中频波前均方根值的检测。采用大口径干涉仪可实现全口径波前中频区域低频段波前的检测,通过比对大口径干涉仪和采用小口径干涉仪结合分块融合平均方法的检测结果,提出采用分块融合平均方法也可检测相应频段全口径波前均方根。采用光学轮廓仪通过离散采样的方法检测大口径元件中频区域高频段波前均方根,针对不同离散采样方式的实验结果表明:33的采样方式能满足对410 mm410 mm口径元件中频区域高频段波前均方根的检测。