Evolution of the Correlation between Orthogonal Polarization Patterns in Broad-Area Lasers

Abstract

We measure polarization-resolved instantaneous patterns in a large-aspect ratio quasi-isotropic Nd:YAG laser. High correlation between the instantaneous orthogonal polarization patterns recorded at the earlier stages of the laser pulse has been found due to the strong cross saturation between both polarization modes.

Experimental observations of dual-polarization oscillations in laser-diode-pumped wide-aperture thin-slice Nd:GdVO_4 lasers

“…Therefore, these two lasing modes are considered to be spatially-separated localized modes. As the pump power is increased, the transverse optical confinement is increased due to the increased thermal lens effect and π-polarized emission forms a TEM 00 mode, while σ -polarization emission tends to form high order Hermit-Gaussian modes, TEM 10 The spot sizes at the input and output mirrors, w 1 and w 2 , were shown as a function of the effective focal length of the thermal lens, f , in Fig. 6.…”

“…Dual-polarization oscillations (DPO) in LD-pumped microchip solid state lasers are useful for a variety of applications, ranging from heterodyne interferometry [1,2,3] to optical communications [4,5]. DPO has also attracted much attention from the physics point of view, and similar DPO and related phenomena, including polarization mode hopping in vertical cavity semiconductor lasers (VCSELs) [6,7,8,9]; dynamic pattern formations in pulsed solid-state lasers [10], have been reported. DPO can be implemented in isotropic lasers whose birefringence results from residual stress [1], mechanical stress [3], or a composite birefringent element [5], even though laser emissions are unpolarized in isotropic laser materials, such as Nd:YAG, Nd:glass, Er, Yb:glass etc.…”