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Experimental evidence of temporal and spatial incoherencies of Q-switched Nd:YAG nanosecond laser pulses

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Abstract

Seeded nanosecond Q-switched Nd:YAG lasers working with an unstable resonator and a variable reflectivity mirror are widely used, for they represent useful sources for stable and repeatable light–matter interaction experiments. Moreover, in most setups, the fundamental wavelength is converted to higher harmonics. When the injection seeder is turned off, random longitudinal mode beating occurs in the cavity, resulting in strong variations of the temporal profile of the pulses. The generated spikes can then be ten times higher than the maximum of equivalent seeded pulses. This strong temporal incoherence is shown to engender spatial incoherence in the focal plane of such unseeded pulses leading to an instantaneous angular displacement of tens of µrad. This effect is even more pronounced after frequency conversion.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Jérôme Ribolzi for his technical support bringing into operation the streak cameras and Jean-Luc Dubois for fruitful discussions about the interpretation of streak camera acquisitions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CEA Cesta, 15 avenue des sablières, CS 60001, 33116, Le Barp Cedex, France

    R. Diaz, R. Courchinoux, J. Luce, C. Rouyer, J.-L. Rullier & L. Lamaignère

  2. CNRS, Ecole Centrale Marseille, Institut Fresnel, UMR 7249, Aix Marseille Université, 13013, Marseille, France

    R. Diaz & J.-Y. Natoli

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  1. R. Diaz
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  2. R. Courchinoux
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  3. J. Luce
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  4. C. Rouyer
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  5. J.-L. Rullier
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  7. L. Lamaignère
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Correspondence to R. Diaz.

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Diaz, R., Courchinoux, R., Luce, J. et al. Experimental evidence of temporal and spatial incoherencies of Q-switched Nd:YAG nanosecond laser pulses. Appl. Phys. B 121, 439–451 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-015-6251-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-015-6251-5

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