Design optimisation of high-brightness laser diodes for external cavity operation in the BRIDLE project

We report on the design aspects of high performance diode lasers for application in high-brightness spectral beam combining and coherent beam combining modules. Key performance trade-offs are identified and potential solutions are explored

Separate phase-locking and coherent combining of two laser diodes in a Michelson cavity

We describe a new coherent beam combining architecture based on passive phase-locking of two laser diodes in a Michelson external cavity on their rear facet, and their coherent combination on the front facet. As a proof-of-principle, two ridge lasers have been coherently combined with >90 % efficiency. The phase-locking range, and the resistance of the external cavity to perturbations have been thoroughly investigated. The combined power has been stabilized over more than 15 min with an optical feedback as well as with an automatic adjustment of the driving currents. Furthermore, two high-brightness high-power tapered laser diodes have been coherently combined in a similar arrangement; the combining efficiency is 70% and results in an output power of 4 W. We believe that this new configuration combines the simplicity of passive self-organizing architectures with the optical efficiency of master-oscillator power-amplifier ones

Coherent combining of two high-brightness laser diodes phase-locked by a Michelson-type external cavity (Orale)

International audienceWe describe a new coherent beam combin- ing architecture based on the passive phase- locking of two laser diodes in a Michelson external cavity on their rear side, and their coherent combination on their front side

Diode laser based light sources for biomedical applications

Diode lasers are by far the most efficient lasers currently available. With the ever-continuing improvement in diode laser technology, this type of laser has become increasingly attractive for a wide range of biomedical applications. Compared to the characteristics of competing laser systems, diode lasers simultaneously offer tunability, high-power emission and compact size at fairly low cost. Therefore, diode lasers are increasingly preferred in important applications, such as photocoagulation, optical coherence tomography, diffuse optical imaging, fluorescence lifetime imaging, and terahertz imaging. This review provides an overview of the latest development of diode laser technology and systems and their use within selected biomedical applications

Ultrahigh-brightness 850 nm GaAs/AlGaAs photonic crystal laser diodes

This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. This article appeared in Appl. Phys. Lett. 93, 221102 (2008) and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3040322.One-dimensional photonic crystal lasers emitting in the 850 nm range show high internal quantum efficiencies of 93% and very narrow vertical beam divergence of 7.1° (full width at half maximum). 50m broad area lasers with unpassivated facets exhibit a high total output power of nearly 20 W in pulsed mode with a divergence of 9.5°×11.3° leading to a record brightness of 3×108Wcm−2sr−1, being presently the best value ever reported for a single broad area laser diode. 100m broad devices with unpassivated facets show continuous wave operation with an output power of 1.9 W.DFG, 43659573, SFB 787: Halbleiter - Nanophotonik: Materialien, Modelle, Bauelement

Performance results on the laser portion of the Keck laser guide star system

The Laser Guide Star (LGS) system for the Keck II, 10 m telescope consists of two separate but interconnected systems, the laser and the adaptive optics bench. The laser portion of the LGSl is a set of five frequency doubled YAG lasers pumping a master oscillator-power amplifier dye chain to produce up to 30 W of 589 p at 26 kHz of tuned light. Presently the laser system has been set up at the Keck facility in Waimea, HI and is undergoing test and evaluation. When it will be set up on the Keck II telescope, the pump lasers, dye master oscillator and associated control equipment will be located on the dome floor and the dye laser amplifiers, beam control system and diagnostics will be mounted directly on the telescope as shown in Fig. 1, Extensive use of fiber optics for both transmission of the oscillator pulse and the pump laser light has been used

Liver cell therapy: is this the end of the beginning?

The prevalence of liver diseases is increasing globally. Orthotopic liver transplantation is widely used to treat liver disease upon organ failure. The complexity of this procedure and finite numbers of healthy organ donors have prompted research into alternative therapeutic options to treat liver disease. This includes the transplantation of liver cells to promote regeneration. While successful, the routine supply of good quality human liver cells is limited. Therefore, renewable and scalable sources of these cells are sought. Liver progenitor and pluripotent stem cells offer potential cell sources that could be used clinically. This review discusses recent approaches in liver cell transplantation and requirements to improve the process, with the ultimate goal being efficient organ regeneration. We also discuss the potential off-target effects of cell-based therapies, and the advantages and drawbacks of current pre-clinical animal models used to study organ senescence, repopulation and regeneration

Lawson criterion for ignition exceeded in an inertial fusion experiment

For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin "burn propagation" into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While "scientific breakeven" (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion